Messenger photo by Eric Pratt: Our family's favorite sledding hill in Fort Dodge, shown a few years - and thousands of memories - ago.

Ten years.

I was walking in our neighborhood recently after a snowstorm, and happened to pass our family’s “secret” sledding hill — the one we first discovered when our son was little, and has been used much more frequently by others ever since.

A mom, dad and three kids were there. The children were begging for their parents’ attention. The adults were trying to have a conversation between “watch this!” and “look at me!” They were visibly stressed and probably concluded they simply couldn’t get away — even in a moment that should have offered such respite.

I smiled at the familiarity of the scene. Ten years ago — a few weeks before Christmas, with children ages 10, 6 and 3 — we were those parents. Life was a blur. Most of our time was spent at home, with the kids, always together.

Today? Life is still a blur, but under new circumstances. We go to their games, concerts and other events — often splitting up in separate directions, though. We’re more in the roles of supporting and assisting than comforting or nurturing. Our teenagers decide when they need us, and while we’re still important of course, it’s for different reasons.

We are no longer their everything, which is just the way life goes.

I started thinking about where we could be as a family 10 years down the road, and how the roles will continue to evolve. When you’re young, 10 years sounds like forever. Now? It seems to go by the blink of an eye.

That’s a surreal feeling, given how much things change in what is actually a very short period of time.

When you get to be my age, and the number 50 starts creeping into the thought process, you tend to embrace moments more. Experiences. Relationships. Memories. You’re consciously trying to slow down or even freeze time; old enough to finally take a step back and both confront and value it.

Your kids, on the other hand, aren’t really in that mode when they are teenagers. They’re more about themselves, their friends and finding their own way.

The harsh reality? They needed you to be as present as you’re ready for today when they were little. And you can only hope you were just that, enough to influence them before the world swept their undivided attention away. All the while you’re wondering how, in the words of Alan Jackson, it got to be so late so soon.

I wanted to approach that family and remind them to embrace both the chaos of the day and that period of life. You’re overwhelmed. Your own identity changes in so many ways. Your life belongs to that little boy or girl, down to the minutes and even seconds.

Ten years will fly by, though, and you’ll suddenly be on the outside looking in at that sledding trip. Your kids will be with friends or significant others. Getting them all under the same roof for even one meal or a movie night will suddenly be difficult, if not impossible.

And what about the next 10 years? Graduations. The end of sports and activities. Moving days. In-laws. Grandchildren.

This Christmas season, try to appreciate the present. It’s easy — and often comforting — to look back and reminisce. Many of our favorite people and experiences were a part of that past. Yet the world keeps going, sometimes and unfortunately, without both.

The love of days gone by is important and can absolutely be cherished. Regret is real. Time is often cruel, and certainly not ours to control.

Yet through it all, you are still blessed to have today. And for so many people — friends, family members, acquaintances or even strangers — your simple presence may shape the bigger picture in ways you don’t even realize. Like the relationship between parents and children, the gratification may not always be immediate or from the same point of view. Yet we still can and often do plant seeds for future growth or influence when we least expect it.

Memories and moments are easy to spot in retrospect, but we don’t always know when they’re going to happen. Allow yourself the grace and opportunity to be a part of someone’s world, even if it’s not exactly the circumstances or future you had planned.

Ten years. Days I often wish I had back, and moments I certainly miss. I truly believe I did my best to make the most of it all. Those days are gone, and a lot of new ones hopefully await.

If I’m able to have a similar perspective 10 years from now, I will be blessed beyond measure — despite probably having to let go of a lot and change even more in the process. It all goes so fast, and you don’t get any of it back.

If you find a sledding hill in life, take it on — preferably head-first. It will likely be fast and adventurous, albeit unpredictable. Embrace the unknown and enjoy the ride as it happens in the new year and beyond.

May the next 10 be your best 10 yet.

Eric Pratt is Sports Editor at The Messenger. Contact him via email at sports@messengernews.net, or on Twitter @ByEricPratt