PROGRESS©
A Poem by Maribeth Shanley
As I arrive at the summit of my future, breathlessly filled with anticipation,
I look forward and see progress.
I take those first few steps only to pause and turn 180 degrees.
I look backward toward the familiar and recognize that too was progress.
I stand frozen in time;
Wondering whether to continue into the unknown; or
Turn back in order to bathe in the progress of my past.
. . . What’s my hurry? . . .
But then, in my mind, I glimpse the dim light as the sun rises on that yet to be discovered future,
And I make my decision.
I will go forward with the knowledge and heart of my past.
I trust my past to guide me forward, not cautiously, but respectfully.
I open my heart to my forward journey
With all the heart and soul of the past which makes me realize,
That the most important lesson to take from all of this
Is to live in the here and now;
To enjoy all I am surrounded by and
Savor my existence with all that is here in the present.