The present is passed over in the race for the future; the here is
neglected in favor of the there. Enjoy the moment, even if it
means merely a walk in the country. -Anne Morrow Lindbergh
In Aldous Huxley's last novel, Island, he writes about birds who are trained to speak. If I remember right, they say two things: "Attention!" and "Here and now." When I read this book when I was much younger, I didn't see the importance of those two phrases. As I grow older, though, they speak volumes to me in just a few words. Huxley understood the importance of being aware of the present moment, right now, and right here. That's the only time and the only place that matter, after all--there really isn't much more to life than those two things. We think a lot about our pasts, but we can't do anything to change them. We worry about the future or look forward to it, but that's spending the present moment focused on something that hasn't come yet, at the expense of the things that are all around us, all the time. I think that if I could choose to be better at something, it just might be being present in the present moment. And not just being present, but looking at the present moment in such a way that I always enjoy it--at least, as long as the present moments are even in the least bit enjoyable. Whether I make the most of the moments that life brings to me or not depends upon me, of course, and I hope I live up to the fact that life has given me many many blessings. I hope that I recognize them, appreciate them, and make the most of them, with each present moment that passes.
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