“If we wait for the moment when everything is ready, we shall never begin.”

Ivan Turgenev

There’s a peculiar thing about humans. We have this innate tendency to wait for the universe to hand us a golden ticket. We sit—sometimes with a cup of coffee, sometimes with a glass of wine, and often with a bag of chips—waiting for the planets to align in a way that screams, “This is your moment!”

But let’s be honest, if we’re waiting for the green lights of life to all turn on at once, we might as well be waiting for a comet. And not just any comet, but one of those once-in-a-lifetime, “I-can’t-believe-I-saw-that” comets. The kind you’ll tell your grandkids about one day, only for them to roll their eyes and say, “Not the comet story again, Grandpa!”

Imagine you’re at the starting line of a race, but instead of running, you’re there with a checklist. “Is the track clear? Is the wind calm? Is the sun a bit less…sunburn-y today?” But here’s the kicker: life’s track is more like a quirky obstacle course designed by a mischievous toddler. The track has its bumps, the wind has its own mood swings, and the sun? Well, it’s the sun. It does what it wants.

The race, my friends, has already begun. While we’re there, squinting at the sun and cursing the wind—time is doing its marathon, not even breaking a sweat. Waiting for that “perfect” moment is like waiting for a unicorn to trot by and offer you a ride. It’s whimsical, it’s delightful, but it’s also, sadly, fictional.

The real magic? It’s in the messy now. It’s in the imperfect starts, the stumbled steps, and the sunburns. Because every sunburn has a story, every stumble a lesson, and every imperfect start a unique charm.

So, dust off those running shoes, maybe grab some sunscreen, and get ready. The universe might not hand you a golden ticket, but it’s given you something even better: the present.

Stephen Boudreau serves as VP of Brand & Community at Virtuous Software. For over two decades, he has helped nonprofits leverage the digital space to grow their impact. To that end, Stephen co-founded RaiseDonors, a platform that provides nonprofits with technology and experiences that remove barriers to successful online fundraising. He is an avid (but aging) soccer player, audiobook enthusiast, and the heavily-disputed UNO champion of his household.

Copyright ©2024 Stephen Boudreau.