The Present is a Gift

There are people who live in the past, people who live exclusively in the present, and people still, who live in a constant state of striving for an optimal future. I'd consider myself a combination of the first and last, which goes completely against the age old theory of living in the moment. 
People who are capable of living just for the here and now are blessed, but perhaps they are missing out on some of the finer points of life. Letting go of the past is just an excuse for trying to forget your mistakes, or erasing painful memories. But those memories make us who we are. Without those prior experiences, we would not be the same people we are today. And while living in the past is physically impossible, some people will drive themselves insane trying to solve or correct their histories. But life isn't always a puzzle to be solved, sometimes it's just about learning to accept and deal with the things that have happened and using those experiences to guide yourself. The past is very important to me. I spend a lot of time reflecting and remembering the good and bad times I've had, and those memories help me determine who or what has made my life great, and what I wish to exclude or include in my life from that point on. What is it they say we accomplish from studying history? We learn from our mistakes, and build towards a better future. And speaking of the future, there's absolutely nothing wrong with planning ahead, setting goals for yourself, or dreaming big- just realize that "tomorrow" is always undefined. It's okay to strive for something you want as long as you already have everything you need. I'm a dreamer. There's no squelching that. I like to imagine what grand and phenomenal possibilities the future can offer. But that doesn't mean I'm unsatisfied with the present- it just means I have confidence in myself and who I have the potential to become if I'm given the opportunity.
So living in the moment is really just a lifestyle choice. Those people may seem happy and carefree, but it's only because they don't acknowledge the past or let the future burden them. In my opinion, life has more depth when you learn to balance all three time zones. The present is empty without a past and a future surrounding it.