I've Lost My Now

Of recent, I seem to be so future focussed that I have lost touch with my present and now. I was vaguely aware of it but considered the end goal of such importance that the now could wait. Life seemed to be on hold until the plan becomes a reality. I guess the subtle messages I have been receiving have suddenly brought that awareness into scrutiny and has revealed the acute importance of now. I watched a video that explored how our conscience perceives the precise instance of now and that our mind doesn't really exist in a singular moment of time but continually references a window of time to pre-empt what is about to happen so as to be prepared. So our ability to catch a glass falling off a table is as a result of our mind observing the potential risk, predicting that it could fall, understanding from past experience that if it should fall, in which direction it will travel and the consequence of the event. Our mind has already planned a reaction in case of the event before it has even occurred. This is our mind living in the now and millions of such reactions are planned in preparation of the possible scenarios we may encounter. This is reviewed on a micro-scale but the same is true over longer time frames. So in my case, my focus has been on plans for months in the future with very little attention for the current week or even month. A book I picked up to continue reading spoke about young children's impatience and demanding of everything now. "Now is the natural dwelling place for them. They don't spend much time in the past or in the future. Now is always a brand-new adventure." This perceived impatience is really children's "sign of aliveness."

"Now is the only real time."

"Now is their (the children's) best chance for happiness. Now is where they will find love. now is the time to go for it. When they look into now, they see the totality of possibilities."

We seem to drum that enthusiasm out of our children and teach them the 'art' of patience where perhaps we should be learning some of their spontaneity and relish the moment of now and make the most we could of it.

This week I was also reminded how, without any warning and so very quickly, now can be taken away. However fantastic my plans are for next year, the now is what I actually have to work with and I ask my self, "Am I being the best husband, father, son, brother, friend that I can be right now?" How sad if my eulogy read something like, "He wasn't really great to live with in the last few months he was around, but next year he was going to be awesome."

HAPPINESSISNOWHERE

You decide how you want to read that. Is it three words or four? Find your now and work on making it a happy place. Don't forget your future plans but keep your now fully in focus.