Here. Now. --A Paragraph a Day

As you walk and eat and travel, be where you are.
Otherwise you will miss most of your life.   ~the Buddha

Where am I right now?  What's around me?  How many of us can answer that question truthfully and fully for most of the moments we experience?  It's so easy to be so busy and so distracted that we become blind to all of the beauty and kindness that's always present in our lives, and to believe those other people in our lives who tell us that life is stressful and frustrating and difficult and unfair.  But if we can just be aware of our present moments, if we can just stop now and then and look around and listen and feel to make sure we're not missing something normally wonderful, then we can add something profoundly moving to our lives.  Right here and right now are the only moments of our lives that we have to actually live, and that's something that we really need to take advantage of if we're to make the most of these lives that we have.

Here and Now--A Paragraph a Day

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.

Moment by Moment

Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that never was before and never will be again.    -Pau Casals
  
  
This truth about the lives we lead is very, very difficult to keep in mind most of the time.  After all, when I go into work today, that same obnoxious person will still be making me uncomfortable; that same problem with my computer will be there; I'll still get along well with certain co-workers.  In my case, I'll still have the same students in my classes, with the same drama and complaining and humor and achievement.  It's hard to distinguish this particular moment in my life--this "right here, right now"--from all the other right heres and right nows that already have passed.
   
But the fact that this is a new and unique moment of the universe means, of course, that I have the power to make changes.  I have the option of doing things differently, of reacting differently to similar situations or actions.  I have the possibility of starting something new or continuing something that I've been at for a while.  I have the opportunity to step onto a new road that may be going somewhere that I've never intended on going to--and making the most of the journey that results.
  
Right here and right now, I have the choice of continuing to type or stopping, of continuing to think of which words to write or to stop thinking about this and start thinking of something else.  I can go back and delete a paragraph or a word or a sentence.  I can do anything I want--it really is my choice.

And it's the same with anything in my life.  I could decide right now never to go back to my job--though I would pay a series of very high prices for making that decision.  In some situations, though, those prices would be worth it.  We tell ourselves so often, "I'll make this change when the time is right" because we're worried about consequences, but sometimes maintaining the status quo can be much more difficult and much more damaging than making a change and facing consequences.

What are we going to do with this moment?  Some of my favorite moments each day are those when I simply close my eyes and breathe deeply and calm myself.  I don't get anything "done" during those moments, of course, but they make other moments during my day much more enjoyable and productive.  I also enjoy practicing awareness during moments when I remember to do so--looking around and actually seeing and appreciating all the things that are around me.

In other moments, I compliment or encourage someone--or both.  I stop and actually listen to music that's being played.  I take out a picture or two that remind me of beautiful moments of my past.  I hug my wife or one of my kids if they're around.

What I find to be the most important use of moments, though, is the decision-making that I'm able to do.  All of my previous moments have led to this present moment somehow, so I have a lot of experience and learning behind me.  This moment right here and right now, I can make a decision that will affect all of my future moments.  That decision can have to do with my job or a relationship or a hobby or education or my body, but our most important decisions happen in a moment, don't they?  A lot builds up to them, of course, but the decision itself is the result of a moment, and hopefully a moment of clarity.

The present moment, right here and right now, offers us much.  Few of us, though, are able even to recognize what's being offered, much less able to take advantage of the offers.  Perhaps by practicing awareness, we can be more aware of what each moment of our lives brings to us.