Wasted on the Way

The NaBloPoMo theme for March is the word whether.
Whether you'd rather this, whether you'd rather that.
Whether seems like a wishy washy word, a word for people unable to make up their minds overwhelmed perhaps by choice: cash or credit? paper or plastic? low cal, fat free, 0 trans fats?
But for me, the word "whether" immediately brings to mind "The Phantom Tollbooth," that rarest of children's books that's clever, engaging, and a great read for adults as well as kids.
Surely everyone will remember that the first person Milo meets in The Lands Beyond is the Whether Man. Though he's every bit as confused as you might first assume, he makes an observation to Milo that's always stayed with me: "Whether or not you find your own way, you're bound to find some way."
That's it isn't it? Perhaps it sounds so familiar because it's so much like other famous quotes along similar veins, "wherever you go, there you are,"
"life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans,"
"if you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice."
Okay, that last one might not be so familiar unless you're a Rush fan but even so, it sounds familiar doesn't it?
Interesting that this word, which seems to vacillate in every direction, is also so final.
You know what this is don't you? It's an invitation to live in the present. Because 2012 is the year of living in the present, at least for me. I may not be able to be present at every given moment but I've at least gotten better a telling the different between auto pilot and mindfulness. So I guess for me, this month's prompt reminds me that whether I'm an active participant or a passive spectator, the game is going on, right now. I suppose it's up to me to find my own way.
Though I sure could use a Watch Dog like Tock to keep me from wasting time.

song: Wasted on the Way • artist: Crosby Stills Nash