To be in the NOW is such a catchcry. We hear it
at seminars and at our Yoga practice, we read about the importance of
mindfulness and being “present”. It seems as though we have forgotten what it
feels like to BE IN THE NOW. Why is it seemingly so elusive?
Is today, so unappealing? Have we become
like moths to a flame, always chasing the bright lights and looking for what’s
next, whilst ignoring the beauty of what is right in front of us.
When we are not in the NOW we are potentially
in chaos, or at best, not embracing the possibilities being presented today.
What if you were TODAY? How would you feel?
To be TODAY, in our busy, often
unconscious lives, is possibly viewed as not enough.
TODAY gets a really raw deal!
Imagine if you will, that YESTERDAY, TODAY
AND TOMORROW meet in a coffee shop.
YESTERDAY............arrives really early
TODAY...................arrives on time
TOMORROW.........arrives really late
But eventually all 3 are together.
They exchange mundane pleasantries,
commenting firstly on the weather
YESTERDAY says : ..........the weather WAS windy, blustery, and cool
TODAY says: .........the weather IS mild
and still
TOMORROW says .........the weather WILL be sunny and
balmy
The conversation appears disjointed. Yet all
of them are correct based on their view, their perception. It depends on where
they are in their NOW.
It’s the same with self awareness. We may
see ourselves in one light, but is that how we are received by others?
YESTERDAY clears its throat and announces
with passion:
“I am the memories of peoples past. They
can be clear and accurate or distorted and lament filled. The unfulfilled
longings and yet, in the same breath, the illustrious triumphs. I am the shame of
the unguarded tongue, and the guardian of the loving whisper. I can be the
master of deception and illusion and the also the mistress of the precious gems
of Life. I can be the “if only” and the “I wish I had”. I am what cannot be
undone, only redone.
TOMORROW jumped in immediately, shouldering
TODAY to one side.
“I am the dreams yet to be realised, the
fantasy yet to be unveiled. I am the harbinger of possibility and the
illusionist of immortality. I offer hope and dreams. I am mystical and mysterious. I am the
visionary with limitless imagination and the nagging night time thought of
“what if” and “imagine when”.
TODAY sat quietly. Shrinking slightly. What
grandiosity could it inject into its forgettable self? The proof of its unworthiness was there for
all to see. Plainly and transparently. People didn’t want to be in TODAY, they
were always revisiting YESTERDAY or dreaming of TOMORROW.
The other two were waiting for TODAY to
extol its virtues. Waiting, waiting....
TODAY sat still. It became present to itself. Gradually,
thoughts began to form and then the words followed.
“I am the breath you are sucking up into
your throat this very moment. I am your moving self and your resting self. I am
every feeling and emotion that is running through your body now, every image
that your eyes capture in millisecond flashes in 24 hours. I can be incomplete
and wasted. Or full and productive. I am ALL you have right now, right here.
From my platform you can leap into tomorrow or slide back to yesterday but all
you find there are wishes or memories.
What you FEEL TODAY is honest, spontaneous
and if permitted, healing. It’s the suppression of feelings, relegating them to
a past memory or event or projecting them into some fanciful scenario into tomorrow
that distorts them"
TODAY paused. Breathless with the joy that
it had found its voice.
There followed a silence. Each day sitting
in contemplation.
It was apparent that one could not exist
without the other. Each had a role to play. They were jointly and severally
important, one not greater than the other.
Life asks much of us. Challenges in health,
career, finances, relationships, etc. All of it at times overwhelming and seemingly
insurmountable. What to do?
Perhaps just by honouring TODAY you will find
the space you need to navigate the memories of yesterday and the illusions of
tomorrow with clarity.
Perhaps just doing TODAY as well as you
can, is enough.
Be gentle with TODAY
