On Preparation

What does it mean to be prepared? Not in any practical sense... I'm not referring to packing your lunch the night before or laying your clothes out for the next morning. I'm talking about the act of steeling yourself for a daunting task. The shower pep talk, the mirror affirmations, the rambling crazy talk while pacing a waiting room or lobby or what have you. Maybe there's a rabbits foot nearby you could squeeze for good luck? Perhaps some sort of personal totem that makes you feel powerful and safe.

I don't disapprove of any of these things, and, one could opine that I am personally reliant on habits and good luck charms and well... superstitious mojo.

However, while I was preparing for my NYC trip I started to get this feeling like I was wasting a lot of time preparing for events that were to happen regardless of whether or not I had prepared myself. It's interesting to me that we spend time thinking about, imagining and fortifying ourselves in anticipation of moments in our lifetimes. When it comes down to it, the moments that we fret and prepare for are happening all the time. My guess is that we are missing the moments we strive to prepare for by consuming our moments with preparation.