In the series finale of The Office, Andy says, “I wish there was a way to know you’re in the good old days before you’ve actually left them.”

The line hits home because we can all relate to not appreciating the good old days until they’re gone.

We’ve felt the heartbreak on the last day of summer camp. The twinge of sadness at every graduation ceremony. The sudden onset of nostalgia on your last day at a job where many happy memories were made.

One of the reasons it’s so hard to appreciate the good days when you’re in them is that they often come with the promise of better days. You get caught looking ahead and miss out on right now.

The trick is to recognize that the promise of better days is a part of what makes the good old days so good. When the future is full of promise, the present is better too. It gives us hope. And being hopeful makes it easier to feel satisfied and fulfilled, carefree and optimistic.

But it’s important to realize that if the future really does promise to be better than the present, you’re likely already in a pretty good spot. Don’t rush to get to a better one.

The promise of better days ahead is a gift not everyone receives. Cherish it. Appreciate it. Use it to fill your days with gratitude and joy.

On the flip side, it’s easy to get into a vicious cycle where you feel like your best days are always behind you. It’s an easy thing to do because we have a tendency to romanticize the past.

We remember the good parts and allow the not-so-good details to fade away. It’s easier to focus on the good and accept the bad when looking back because you know you can’t change the past. The good old days are as good as they’re ever going to get, and somehow or another, we make peace with that.

The trick here is to apply the same lens to the present moment.

Too often, the good days don’t seem good because we get caught up in trying to make them better. We focus on all the problems, all the shortcomings, all the little things we wish could be different.

We tell ourselves it’s okay to notice the bad stuff because that way we can change it next time.

The problem is that there is no next time. This isn’t a dress rehearsal. This, right here, right now, is all there is and all there will ever be. This is as good as it gets.

Make peace with the present. Fall in love with today. Because when you realize how fleeting every moment really is, how precious now really is, you’ll never let another good day slip away.

You won’t get caught with your head in the clouds, dreaming of a better future. You won’t dwell in the idealized memories of a past you can’t get back.

You’ll embrace what’s within your grasp. Another chance at happiness. Another opportunity to feel alive. Another day to do good.

If you don’t think you’re in the good old days right now, you never will be.

Don’t allow them to be relegated to a future that may never come or a past you can never relive. Don’t allow them to pass by unnoticed.

These are the good old days. Enjoy them while they last.

Steele