I’ll have what she’s having

By GARRICK SEE

Updated: January 9, 2013, 6:41 PM

Tools

Global Perspectives »

Home |

Latest Entries

A Marathoner’s Weekend (Final Part) April 14
Seeing the real side of Detroit April 10
A Marathoner’s Weekend (Part 3) April 7
Parents abroad: ‘what they don’t know won’t hurt them’ April 3
A Marathoner’s Weekend: From Start To Finish (Part 2) March 31
Where are you really from? March 27
A Marathoner’s Weekend: From Start To Finish (Part 1) March 24
Coming to an end March 20
Small Steps, Big Things March 17
Michigan Traditions March 13
It’s Not Easy To Be Me March 10
Revertigo: When Everything Used To Be “All That” February 27
Drink Responsibly February 24
The right time to burn a bridge February 20
Taking wealth for granted February 17
Of black beans and extra whipped cream February 13
Sending Valentine’s love to France February 10
Finding Love In A Foreign Land February 6
How tragedy affects how we look at the world February 3
Missing Home By Not Missing It January 30
Saving the earth one bottle of hand sanitizer at a time January 27
Come For The Game, Stay For The Scandals January 23
What Does The New Year Mean To You? January 16
Here’s to the future January 13
I’ll have what she’s having January 9

After just a brief 3-week break, I’ve come to realize that I can never be satisfied with anything I have at that present moment.

When the cold was starting to creep in, I could not wait to be back in Malaysia where it’s practically Florida every day and halfway through my break, I had already missed being all cozy and covered in snow. Even right now as I am fully clothed with, seemingly, warm home clothes; I miss the humidity and burning sensation on my skin from the sun.

Why do we impose this on ourselves, always wanting more of something we don’t have? Do we really dislike the present so much that we constantly think about the near future, and moreover, the distant past where almost all things seem way better, like movies and music? It’s not as much as human nature to want what we don’t have, but more of a notion that we want to strive for something better than what we have now.

Most people would tell you to live in the moment and enjoy what you have right now whereas others, like me, can never be satisfied with the present or else complacency would take place.
My passion for running can never be stopped or else I would fall off the wagon and have to start all over again. The same goes for working out, studying, interacting with people, etc. If we don’t have in our mind set to always do better, we would just be stuck at the same place forever.

Of course, that does not mean that you should completely hate yourself right now in order to like a better you in the future. And sure, you can enjoy the company and everything else around it right now, but the main thing is that you don’t find yourself stagnant without moving forward.

I remembered last summer when I was practically doing nothing every day except playing video games and eating, a lot. One day my roommate wanted to go for a run and that’s when I realized just how out of shape I was and that I hated myself for feeling like a complete lazy bum. So, after picking up my running legs and more than 250 miles later, I am happy to say that I will be competing in my first marathon in Los Angeles and I could not be more stoked about it. I could not live without running in my life as of now.

So, it’s clear to see that we as developmental human beings have to constantly move forward in our lives and with the times, because no one wants to be that old guy in the corner one day trying to figure out how to set the time on his virtual computer. And trust me, there will be a virtual computer.
gsee@lanthorn.com

Published January 9, 2013 in Global Perspectives