Lesson Thirteen: The Good Old Days
Before I dive in, a quick follow-up to my last post on the misogi. I completed mine for the year with a 100km bike ride. I had only fifteen minutes of notice before I clipped in and went for it. Three hours and ten minutes later, I finished, tired but proud. That ride reminded me of what I’m capable of and showed me how sometimes the best moments in life come unplanned. I’m already setting my sights on something harder for this year, because each challenge proves more about who I am than I expect going in.
Knowing You’re in the Good Old Days
While rewatching The Office, I heard Andy Bernard deliver a line that has stuck with me: “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”
That single sentence has replayed in my mind more times than I can count. I look back at old photos of my wife, my daughters, or even ordinary nights around the dinner table and feel an overwhelming warmth. But I often ask myself: did I truly appreciate those moments while I was living them, or is it only hindsight that makes them feel so rich?
The truth is, life feels like it moves at lightning speed when viewed in retrospect. A year passes, then five, then ten, and suddenly what once felt like endless seasons are just memories. Childhood phases vanish overnight. Goals once on the horizon are behind us. The days we thought were routine become the ones we long to relive.
This realization is what pushes me to slow down and embrace the moment. To stop wishing I had known I was in the “good old days” and start acknowledging that I am already in them.
Shifting Perspective
Living more presently doesn’t mean every moment is easy or perfect. It means shifting the lens through which I see the challenges and responsibilities of life.
When I grind through a hard workout, I try to remind myself that it is a privilege to have a body strong enough to push. When I work late nights, instead of feeling only exhaustion, I try to feel gratitude for the ability to provide for my family.
Even the arguments with my kids hold a hidden blessing. The fact that they are confident enough to voice their opinions is a gift. The fact that both my wife and I are present to guide them through these moments is a fortune not everyone gets.
This shift doesn’t erase frustration or fatigue, but it reframes it. Instead of wishing for easier days, I want to find pride in the ones I have.
The Value of Slowing Down
Slowness is underrated. In a culture that glorifies speed, productivity, and constant motion, choosing to slow down feels almost rebellious. But slowing down is the only way to notice the texture of life truly.
It is in the pauses that I catch my daughters’ laughter. It is in the silence after a workout when I feel my heart pounding and recognize the gift of health. It is in the quiet of a late night that I understand the weight and privilege of responsibility.
By slowing down, I give myself the chance to absorb the very moments I know I’ll one day miss.
The Test of Looking Back
The question I keep asking myself is this: when I look back years from now, will I smile just because I captured the memory in a photo, or because I genuinely lived it?
I want to know that I was present. That I didn’t just survive the chaos of raising young children, chasing goals, and building a life, but that I embraced it. I found gratitude in the struggle and joy in the process.
Marcus Aurelius once wrote, “While you live, while it is in your power, be good.” It is a reminder that life isn’t meant to be lived only in memory or anticipation. The good old days are here, right now, disguised in everyday moments that are easy to overlook.
Choosing to Live Them
So I return to Andy Bernard’s words, but with a different perspective. I don’t just wish there was a way to know when you’re in the good old days. I want to live in such a way that I don’t need the reminder.
Because I do know.
These are the good old days.