They say to live in the present.
That’s easily done when in the presence of Ben Duckett in full flow, crashing four consecutive fours in the second over of a Test Match to set up a score of 56 for one after six overs, one which would not look out of place in a T20 powerplay.
Or Ollie Pope crashing a hundred from 143 deliveries to the adulation of the 17,067 members and spectators in attendance.
The 26-year-old was anointed Ben Stokes’ deputy 12 months ago, and he played here at Trent Bridge like a man characteristically unburdened by the prospect of a dismissal which only came after he’d amassed 121.
Having been inserted, it was a day on which those of an England persuasion could leave feeling content if not completely satisfied, with 416 runs on the board for all ten wickets.
Meanwhile those donning the maroon of West Indies were left to rue misfortune - four dropped catches, including one off Pope when the Surrey man was on just 56, and a hamstring injury to frontline seamer Shamar Joseph.
But Trent Bridge was where it all started, of course, this era of belligerence - a New Zealand side put to the sword by the blade of Bairstow and the sharpness of Stokes in 2022.
It’s difficult not to reflect on this England side’s exuberance then and since, and live somewhat in the past.
On that day in June, Bairstow made the second-fastest century by an England batter in Test cricket as the hosts cantered to a chase of 299 from 72 overs.
Their performances following that Test against the Kiwis rendered them near-untouchable, and marked a gear change in the Three Lions’ approach to supposed five-day cricket.
And off the pitch, as Nottingham welcomed men’s Test Match cricket once again, there were more reasons to reminisce.
Prior to play, Nottinghamshire’s own Stuart Broad was present to unveil a plaque, commemorating the former Pavilion End being renamed in his honour, with his family - including Notts President, Chris - there to witness the moment.
And at lunch, 250 yards from where Broad’s name now adorns the wall of the pavilion facade, Brian Lara sat outside the Trent Bridge Shop for nearly 90 minutes, with the patience of Jobe, signing copies of an autobiography which details the history he made as one of the game’s greats.
It is one of the quirks of the format - the matchday experience owes as much to what is happening around the game as in it.
Meanwhile, England went about their own ruthless pursuit of runs and West Indies plugged away doggedly.
It started positively - they had Zak Crawley dismissed in the first over, squaring up to, then edging, Alzarri Joseph for none.
But they then were met by Duckett fuelled with intent. His fifty from 30 deliveries was the third fastest fifty for England in Test cricket, and his eventual demise for a 59-ball 71 only opened the door for England’s waiting arsenal.
It’s worth remembering that, after England had swept aside Pakistan and Ireland in 2023, a home series to the Aussies saw England’s men temporarily derailed with consecutive losses, before a chastening 4-1 series defeat in India.
If that first phase of ‘Bazball’ was the honeymoon stage, the next was the reality-check stage.
So now England’s men enter a period where they will be truly assessed, their approach examined.
After Joe Root misjudged a pull and was caught at mid-on reducing England to 142 for three, Harry Brook and Pope batted in a way which reaffirmed their desire to play on the front foot, albeit without the risks typically associated.
The former bobbed along at better than a run-a-ball before cue-ending his paddle sweep to short leg for 34 to cue Kevin Sinclair’s somersault celebration, with Stokes continuing the measured onslaught - by the time he had his 50 in 71 balls, England had 312.
It was, perhaps, a sign of things to come. An England side aggressive, yet assured. Prepared to soak up pressure at 0-1 in the first over, yet equally adept at putting their foot on the accelerator when the chances arose.
It is also a squad possessing the strength in depth both to blood those deemed heirs to messrs Anderson and Broad with Gus Atkisonson and Nottinghamshire’s Dillon Pennington coming into this series without a Test cap to their names.
Invariably, it’s easy to look to the future with these players in mind. This is a team targeting clean sweeps against both the West Indies and Sri Lanka, and building towards an Ashes series Down Under.
But any Trent Bridge Test Match is worth savoring.
Pope, caught in the cordon, and Stokes, caught at deep mid-wicket for 69, looked downtrodden to have been dismissed on a day when England, in truth, could have made their mark with even greater authority.
Jamie Smith was another to depart swatting to the boundary having made an assured 36, before Chris Woakes and Shoaib Bashir came and went in the dying embers of the day.
But the combativeness of this England team is to be relished. There is a time to reminisce about the past, and to ponder the future. The greatest gift is found in the here and now.