I have a habit of assuming everything in life is something to solve. I’m always looking to the end of the chapter and anticipating the arrival of the next one.

The problem is that I forgot the middle.

We often think of life as a series of endings and new beginnings. If you’re a planner like me, it can be hard to stop and enjoy the simple things: a short walk around the neighborhood, a random YouTube video that could be perceived as a waste of time, or simply being present for the people we care about. That is where life is.

I am still adjusting to the mental change I made a few years ago when I finally came to terms with life being temporary. All of our special moments, the people in our lives, where we work, and where we play… it is all here for a moment, and it is precious.

I sometimes assume the worst because I hold so tightly to what is now. But there is freedom in loosening my grip… not because I am giving up, but because I trust that this moment doesn’t need to last forever to matter.

I have so many things in my life right now that are going well, and I need to remind myself to enjoy them instead of worrying about them passing me by. I love where I live, my friends, my family, and where I work. After surgery, I can appreciate my health a little more too.

Any of those things could change someday because, eventually, they all will. But today they are here.

I don’t need to skip through the book. The book may have its flaws, but it is my book, and I need to take the time to read it… even the pages where nothing dramatic happens. Maybe those are the pages where life is actually lived.

So here I am in the middle, and I’m okay with that. I can recognize that voice that creeps in with ideas about what’s next and remind it that I don’t need to solve that today because I choose to live today. When this day ends and the next chapter is ready to begin, I’ll have what I need to take it on.

There is nothing more to solve today.

I’ll end this with a look out the window as I sip my soda and enjoy this mostly uneventful day right here in the middle.