Looking Forward to the future
This is the season for anticipation. As I write this, Halloween decorations are up and kids (as well as playful adults) are choosing their costumes with care as visions of tricks and treats dance in their heads. With Thanksgiving and the holiday seasons soon to follow, we’re in for a few months of celebration.
It’s a time to be thankful for all that we’ve been given, and for what we’ve accomplished and earned, as individuals and by working together as a community, while planning for an even better future.
When I was learning to drive in high school, the instructor used a lot of quotes and metaphors. Later, I realized he was teaching us about more than the rules of the road.
One day he asked me why the windshield in the car is bigger than the rearview mirror. I stumbled for an answer about keeping my eyes on the road. “Close,” he said. “It’s because where we’re going is more important than where we’ve been.”
It’s one of those simple sayings that still resonate. It’s fine to remember past days with fondness, but we shouldn’t get lost in nostalgia and forget truths learned through experience.
The instructor was also fond of quotes from baseball players. One he used while teaching driving was from Yogi Berra:
“You’ve got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.”
Another was from Satchel Paige: “Don’t look back, something might be gaining on you.”
We know where we’re going in Irvine. The city has always been successful at planning for an exceptional future.
Let’s not forget that, as voices from the past urge us to regress to the mean. This is a good time to stay focused on the windshield rather than the rearview mirror.
It’s a time to be thankful for all that we’ve been given, and for what we’ve accomplished and earned, as individuals and by working together as a community, while planning for an even better future.
When I was learning to drive in high school, the instructor used a lot of quotes and metaphors. Later, I realized he was teaching us about more than the rules of the road.
One day he asked me why the windshield in the car is bigger than the rearview mirror. I stumbled for an answer about keeping my eyes on the road. “Close,” he said. “It’s because where we’re going is more important than where we’ve been.”
It’s one of those simple sayings that still resonate. It’s fine to remember past days with fondness, but we shouldn’t get lost in nostalgia and forget truths learned through experience.
The instructor was also fond of quotes from baseball players. One he used while teaching driving was from Yogi Berra:
“You’ve got to be careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there.”
Another was from Satchel Paige: “Don’t look back, something might be gaining on you.”
We know where we’re going in Irvine. The city has always been successful at planning for an exceptional future.
Let’s not forget that, as voices from the past urge us to regress to the mean. This is a good time to stay focused on the windshield rather than the rearview mirror.