Treading water

Sometimes I feel as if I am going nowhere fast
I have accomplished nothing tangible, nothing anyone can give me credit for
But, in my more lucid moments, I realize that I have not been treading water at all
Instead I have been peeling off layers, and discovering the better, more effective me
Shedding the things that are not me, and growing each day
A slow process yes
But before you know it, looking back, I will hardly recognize myself
And hardly realize how much time has gone by
It is sometimes hard to live in the moment, but it is a necessary skill
The future awaits, yes, but the future is built on each moment in the present
To learn, to live, to love, to appreciate, to live in the here and now
Hard but doable
Hard but important
One is never treading water when one is learning to do these things