In the moment vs Over the horizon

The over the horizon look, something that is often said about the protagonist in Stephen King's Gunslinger books. Goes by the name of Roland Deschains and it's as if he's always looking beyond where he is right now  towards the future. Which you'd think is kinda normal but it's as though everything around him doesn't factor when he's got that look in his eyes. Scares his friends when they see it. I've seen something akin to that look in a girl's eyes, yep I'm writing about a woman!

The look is a not something that scares me, particularly. But I would like to know what it means, if anything. Funny thing is the girl in question participates in an something that requires snap decisions. I'm mostly writing this to see what I would say if I were to ever bring this up. Long term planners, plotters, life goalers, career trajectorists. I realise some of those words are incorrect but you get my gist, right? My man Neil Gaiman said that if you have a life goal/ambition then it helps to look at everything else in relation to that goal. Imagine that it's a mountain that you are walking towards. All the decisions you make, do they take you towards the mountain or away from it? I like that idea it makes a lot of sense :-D

One of my other fave Neils! Ooh do watch this: Doctor Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

But then I heard something from another creative genius, Tim Minchin. Pursue things ferociously but in the short term. If you spend too much time look at the future you'll miss the shiny thing that you see glimmering out the corner of your eye. He also says "arts degrees are awesome as they help you find meaning where there is none, and trust me there is none." Believe it or not my degree, the one I finished, is considered an arts degree! It's all numbers but the rules surrounding those numbers aren't rules...they're principles! Open to interpretation, so naturally you need an artist to decipher wtf it all means.

My "ultimate" plans fluctuate weekly, daily, hourly, moment to moment. I have no idea what I want to do. There is so much I'd like to do! As you can see there is a bit of a conflict here. The girl I was talking about has a firm idea about what she wants to do with her time, ultimately. But is not particular hurry to get there. Now I like that laid back approach. But I'm not all that patient a person, plus who knows when your time'll be up.

Back and forth, confusing stuff! Does this give you a little idea of what it's like in my head? I'm really not sure about anything. I come up with something that seems concrete but then there's a counter or something that's equally valid. It's interesting but it can suck, from time to time.

So over the horizon + fast paced situation + long term goal. So the over the horizon would tie in with the long term goal but the fast paced situation goes against the grain. Perhaps it's an unconscious attempt towards yanking yourself out of long term thinking and into the now. It could also be a way of burning up the pent up energy that we all have. I'm quite sure that our bodies need to move, work, sweat etc. Someone who looks to the future but pulls themselves into the now.

On the other hand there are those who live in the here and now. Taking each moment as it comes, I see them as the talkers. The chatty ones who are full of good humour. The best example I can think of lives for short term results. Likes to put in effort and see a return immediately. Which is understandable enough, instant feedback. You know whether what you're doing is working or not!

In case you wanted to know where this came from!

The here and now is where we all are, like it or not. Following my thought train out of the mind station? Now exists, nothing else does. The present is all there is, every thing else is an illusion. Imagination and memory, which is still sort of imagination. I sure love the minds eye :-D Admittedly our perception of the present is only through our various senses: sight, smell, sound, sensation and taste. These are an awfully limited way of experiencing all there is. For example we know there are more wavelengths of light that we can not see: ultraviolet + infrared. But even that is only a fraction of the electromagnetic spectrum. Consider the vast array of smells + sounds we cannot experience because we are not sensitive enough. Via the senses we can not truly experience now in it's entirety. But that's a bit of a pointless statement as that's all we've got to work with!

Back to short term vs. long term. Having a long term focus...nice but don't lose sight of what's important. Living moment to moment I think this could work. But you have to know how to handle each moment. Handle each moment well and it leads to a chain of "good" events. Most importantly have fun, be joyful, make someone smile or laugh. If you are seeking out that then you are sure to have a lovely time, regardless of whether you make it to your goal or not. Achieving your goal may be spectacular but I've noticed something peculiar about achieving things. They really aren't all their cracked up to be!

I've won stuff, achieved stuff, defeated people, had success. Doesn't really mean anything tbh. All just a means to an end. The bits I enjoyed the most were the people. Chatting, laughing, drunken discussions about "meaning". All that other stuff pales in comparison to the fun I had with the few folk whom I consider friends.

Did you enjoy my telling you what you already know? Why am I drawing what is already in my soul? Well it being there is great but getting it out of that deep dark recess within which all my understanding cowers away is good. Lets me stare at it and try to digest + dissect it. I don't much care for awards, titles, money, status. I just want to sit and talk, laugh etc. The rest of it...you can keep it all. Except the shower gel :-O

I apparently have a bit of a boner for shower gel. I noticed the other day that I currently have six different types of shower gel in circulation. You know how shared bathrooms often look a bit cluttered with the copious quantity of toiletries that have been stored within them? Well I've managed to achieve that look by myself!

To give you an idea of what it looks like, my collection spans 4 different brands!