Just Passing By

I passed by Grand Central Station today, the place through which I traveled when I worked on the online soaps in Connecticut two years ago. I thought about the two years that have passed by--years full of opportunities taken, and some, well, passed by. What seems large in the moment--as both Grand Central and the journey to Connecticut did at the time--passes by quickly. Days that pass quickly blend into years. It makes me wonder---

How many times do we let something exciting pass us by because we are clutching on to something secure?

How many times do we let something secure pass by while we are looking for something more exciting?

How many times do we let personal milestones pass by while we are pursuing professional ones?

How many times do career opportunities pass us by while we are focusing on the personal ones?

How often does one season pass us by while we are planning for the next?

How do we know when we should just be passing by and when we should actually be going in?

Two years have passed, and my six months of traveling to Connecticut have become just another moment in my work history, another line on my resume. Yet, it's hard to know each day what is passing us by--and what we should or should not let pass. I guess, just like those six months, it's about going in sometimes instead of just passing by. It's about seeing the doors and the opportunities before they have passed, and walking slowly enough to take a look. Because life will pass us by. But all the opportunities of life don't have to.