I think I would want to meet Marley (of Marley & Me fame). Or Ralph Waldo Emerson. Or Lassie. Or maybe myself as a puppy. There are so many places I would want to go and things I would want to see. There would be lessons to learn, joy to share and life to live.
The same could be said if I opted to travel to the future, where dogs can safely drive cars and I can meet the dog who will replace me in the hearts of my people. I wondered today what I would do first if I invented a time machine. Would I go to the past, stay in the present or fast forward to the future? One may never know.
What I do know is woulds coulds and shoulds are no way to live. I think I would be a pretty busy doggie if I could travel through time, but something about the idea catches my heart. Time is a constant. It comes and goes, ebbs and flows. It keeps moving even when we wish it would stop and slows down when we want it to speed up. I can’t change that.
Instead I can embrace words like will, can, and shall. These are the words of today, the present that is the present. As nice as it would be to have a time machine, it’s not (yet) one of life’s little luxuries. But joy is. You can find it wherever you look. You can see it in precious moments of a passing day. You can hear it in words from family and loved ones. From the ground up, it’s about the now much more than the future or the past.
“Time has been transformed, and we have changed,” suggested Lebanese philosopher Khalil Gibran. “It has advanced and set us in motion, it has its face, inspiring us with bewilderment and exhilaration.”
I do still think it would be fun to wrestle with Marley or pick the brains of Emerson and Lassie. And it would be even more exciting to share such things with the future version of myself. But I don’t need a time machine to learn lessons, share joy and live life. I have the present for that.
Wiley's Wisdom 
Love this blog!
Well you make my day with words like that! 🙂
😉
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I’m with Inspire – I love this blog! Every afternoon (here in Oz) I wait for it to arrive between 1-2pm. LOL and when it’s late, I start to worry…is Wiles okay… are his forever folks okay…is his baby brother okay. Then it arrives and I smile.
“Yesterday is past, tomorrow is the future, today is a gift – that’s why it’s called the present” 😉
Dear Lyn,
I think you have shared those wise words with me before – your wisdom warms my heart. As do your kind words about my blog! I know I have my fair share of days when I’m running late or my words are less wise than usual (oops!) so it absolutely makes my world brighter knowing I have a paw in yours. 🙂
All my best,
Wiles
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Mom read somewhere that coulda, shoulda, and oughta will eat your brain. As delicious as that sounds, I will also stick to the gift of the present. Us doggies are pretty good at that!
Love and licks,
Cupcake
You crack me up sometimes, dear Cupcake! I agree with you about the coulda shoulda oughta business eating your brain. That does NOT sound fun to me at all! Good thing us canines are so good at this so we can remind our humans to follow suit. 🙂
High paw!
Wiles
I need new experiences it would be good for me as a therapy dog
You’re a therapy dog? Hat’s off to you dear friend! I wish I could convince mom to do get me certified in such things. Too bad she’s so busy lately with my little person….maybe in a year or two.
Lots of love,
Wiles
If you do and I can help in any way I would love to. Did you know they have strollers for little dogs
That would be pawsome! I’ve gotten so much better at asking for help (I used to be stubborn about such things), so I will let you know. And the strollers for little dogs thing intrigues me greatly! Do tell…
Check it out perfect for little dogs like you Wiley
Oh funny! These are all great! Now someone needs to invent a dog/baby stroller combo! They’d make millions! 🙂
I am sure they have .. put it in the search of Pinterest see what pops.. Or you do it! 😀
Oh I forgot I think there is a doggy pack where you can place your dog in front of you like a back pack but in the front. I know they have them for babies. I used to use it for one of my cats who would constantly want attention and get under foot. He would purr and drool he was so content hahahahahaha
That’s so brilliant! We animals do love being close to our people!
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The present is the best, each moment. Who needs a time machine when we can enjoy love now. Sometimes I think I should have reacted differently in the past in some incidents, but it happenend as it did and we learn from it. The future I don’t want to know, let the miracles happen as they come….. with joy and love.
You sound a bit like my mom. She has this way of thinking of things where every experience (even the really terribly awful horrible ones) is worthwhile if a lesson is learned. I don’t know about such things myself. 🙂 But I do agree about the miracles happening as they come! I believe friendships like those formed on this blog are miracles all their own. Lots of love and joy to you!
Wiles
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Oh Wiles, Trev and I sure love you!!!! We just watched Marley and Me the other evening…it was a great family night!!!! I wish you could drive and come to visit us!!!! Grins and hugs always dear friend!!!!
Well that works out, because I love you guys too! 🙂 High paws, love and hugs to you!
Love,
Wiles
Once again, Wyles, home run! Well written, my four-footed-with-tail friend. Well done, Wyles! Love, HuntMode
Thank you!!!
Or Gonna instead of shoulda woulda coulda.. yep
Yep – you know where it’s at friend!
Reblogged this on Wiley's Wisdom and commented:
The present is a gift I don’t intend on wasting.