The Present You

The past does make up who you are, but it doesn't control you.  You are who you are now, and THAT is what truly matters.  Today, I had a good time going to Gatlinburg for TCTC (Tennessee Christian Teen Convention) where I led my little group of kids to the session to start off an awesome weekend.  Before all that, I knew that I needed to go for a run, so I did.  I went out and ran decently hard, finishing 3.89 miles in 29:44, an average of 7:38 min/mile.  A nice pace, but still would like to be able to run faster... but hey, I still have a good amount of time before my next race.

Now the present me is where I am at the moment, and it's only the moment, where we can truly control ourselves.  The past has already passed and although it does give a firm foundation to who we are, it doesn't describe who we are EXACTLY in that EXACT moment.  It's important to know what has gone on before, but the moment that really matters is the moment we live in now.  As a runner, I identify myself as a runner.  I look back and see how my training or lack of training has gotten me to where I am now.  However, I don't let that bog me down and slow my training.  Instead, I focus on the me now and work to be the runner that I want me to be.

In order to do that, I do need to look at where I come from and where I'm going, but it's the moment that defines you and everything else doesn't really matter.  Some people may look at the past and see you as who you were, but in reality, you're not.  You are not that person.  You are the present.  I find it hard sometimes to do that, but looking at myself now, I see that I am different that the person who ran a sub 3 hour marathon years back.  I'm wanting a comeback, but it'll be a different sort of training and I would have to work hard to get back to that.  It's the me now that really matters.  Your history... is just history.  It gives reference to who you were and who you might be, but you aren't exactly that.  You're different.  I'm different.  We're all different than what we were a year ago, a month ago, a week ago... even a day ago. 

You are who you are right now.

So... who are you?