It seems like a universal human tendency:
When you’re young, you dream of being older…
and when you’re older, you long for parts of being young.
So how do we actually live in the present instead of constantly wishing for a different season?
Here’s the best strategy I’ve found:
g r a t e f u l n e s s
Choosing to see what this season offers rather than mourning what it doesn’t.
But wow… that can be hard.
Yet this is where joy lives — today, in the moment. Not in our past or out there somewhere.
Years ago, when my girls were little, a song called “You’re Gonna Miss This” by Trace Adkins was popular.
Its message stayed with me thinking of them at that stage because I knew time would fly — and before I knew it, they would be grown. And now… here I am.
The music video follows a young woman through different stages of life, always longing for what’s next — and in each scene, someone gently reminds her:
“You’re gonna miss this.”
And it’s true.
There is beauty in the moment you’re standing in right now.
So when I’m tempted to wish for another time, I pause and ask:
What gifts am I experiencing right now that I’ll someday miss?
Things like:
God’s grace in this season of life
Good health and mobility
Your current family stage
Friendships and relationships
Mental clarity
Being able to drive
A neighborhood you may not always live in
A hobby or rhythm you enjoy
The ability to take a long, hot bath {I’ve been told when you’re older you have to give them up 
}
Your current age — which may feel unexciting now, but will one day feel precious
Depending on your stage of life, certain gifts show up more strongly.
When you’re young, you often have:
Energy
Time
Openness
Creativity
Optimism
Mental agility
Ability to gain skills quickly
Don’t underestimate how powerful those gifts are.
Those of us further down the road would borrow them again in a heartbeat. 
And when you’re older, you gain what youth simply cannot provide:
Wisdom
Perspective
Discernment
Emotional resilience
Quiet confidence
Would you rather go to your 18-year-old self for wisdom — or your 82-year-old self?
Even at 57, I would choose this version of me any day over my 18-, 35-, or 47-year-old self — without hesitation.
And ten years from now, I’m sure I’ll value the wisdom of 67 more than the wisdom I have right now.
“Is not wisdom found among the aged? Does not long life bring understanding?” —Job 12:12 (NIV)
Isn’t that so true?
Some of my dearest relationships — both family and friends — have been and still are with people later in life.
Being with them brings such settledness.
They carried wisdom, quiet confidence, and peace — not from striving, but from who they had become over decades of walking through life.
They brought perspective.
They brought belonging.
In their presence, I could exhale.
I was accepted.
Nothing to prove.
No one to impress.
And though some of them are no longer here, their lives still steady me and their example continues shaping who I am becoming.
Experiencing this richness has taught me something:
I want to become that kind of person for the generations coming behind me.
Wherever you are today, there is goodness in this exact season.
And there are lessons you will only learn here.
If staying present feels hard, pause long enough to name today’s blessings.
Then let yourself feel the joy they carry.
Because remember this:
You’re gonna miss this. 
What will you someday wish you had slowed down enough to enjoy today?
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