The ideal instead of the actual is something I often think about. Wouldn’t it be better if these mountains were bigger, if that road wasn’t there, if there were more trees etc. Rather than looking at something, anything, as it actually is and appreciating what it is at that moment in time, where it is, or how it is, how it came to be there, how I have come to be there with it. Must we always be seeking improvement? Must we always be chasing something different when really we find comfort in the familiar?
Yes of course we should challenge ourselves, but if constantly looking to improve on things takes us away from appreciating what we actually have, then it is not worth it. We are therefore always at sea, never laying down any solid roots and worst of all, never living in the moment at all. Live deliberately, love the moment.