Nostalgia

When I first lived in Australia, it was through a study abroad program.  It was by far one of the most fun periods of my life.  Take a group of kids, put them in a foreign country by the beach, give them an incredible amount of alcohol, and strip all their academic responsibilities away for a 6 months, and you pretty much have an equation for complete madness, which is exactly what it was.

I'm not saying that I was drinking and partying all the time (it was a fair amount though).  It was more so the environment living in that type of environment.  Everyone was so damn relaxed, and available to hang out whenever and wherever.  Everyone totally had that "seize the day" type of attitude that I've never witnessed since.

At the end of the day, everyone I was around was so damn happy.  I really miss that.  I'm not saying that people aren't happy around me now, but that youthful vigor that I was surrounded with when I was out there I still can't find to this day.

I am fully aware that the time I was there wasn't the "real world."  In the real world you have bosses, and deadlines, and bills, and stubborn belly fat that you're trying get rid of.  And in the trenches of my day to day grind, a sense of nostalgia always creeps in the back of my head.

I think to myself "Damn...  Those were the friggin' days."  That is not a good feeling.  The thing is, that feeling is only going to get stronger and stronger in the future, if I let it.  I mean, I'm in my twenties now. I can't imagine what this feeling will be when I'm seventy.

I'll be thinking to myself "Man... Those were the days when I had the energy and strength to get on my board and go surfing."

I think it's important for me to really start getting into Zen and spirituality again.  Now and into the future, staying and enjoying the moment will only be more and more important to be in.