Dear friends,
Let's enjoy some minutes of reflection on the theme of living in the now.
But before we begin,
Let's stop for a few moments of quiet reflection.
Allow ourselves to come into this present moment,
Eyes open or closed as you wish,
Whatever you find the most comfortable.
You might ask,
Why do we need to think about living in the now?
Is it not self-evident?
Are we not always living in the now?
And you are right,
Where else can we live but in the now?
But the question is,
How present are we,
Really?
Are you even present as you listen to this?
I don't know about you,
But if you are anything like me,
I suspect you have a problem living in the now,
Just like I have.
How often do we find our bodies in one place and our minds miles away?
How often are our bodies located in one moment in time,
But we find our minds situated in another moment,
In another time?
Our minds agonising about the past,
And of how things might have been different,
If only.
Regretting things done,
Regretting things left undone,
Regretting things unsaid and even more troubling,
Regretting things said.
Realising too late that words cannot be taken back.
Now this is not to say that our flashbacks are always bad.
We can spend time thinking about the past and reminiscing about the good times.
Recalling past successes,
Reliving the good times over and over.
And of course we spend time in the future as well,
Looking to the future with hope,
Daydreaming about how much better things will be tomorrow and the day after.
Longing for those distant hills which are always green.
Lost in thought of future days which are always sun filled.
But even worse,
Often brooding about the future with a sense of foreboding.
Anticipating some difficulty that we expect will arise in the future.
Worrying about some dreaded event that we fear will come about.
But meanwhile the extraordinary gift of the present moment is passing us by unnoticed.
Now this is not to totally reject the idea of looking back and looking forward.
Looking back within reason we can take well deserved pleasure in recalling our past successes.
Remembering those high points can urge us on to further achievement.
Looking on and giving thanks for past moments of happiness can bring us great joy.
Even looking back at our past mistakes can be a help.
Looking back within reason we can learn lessons from our past mistakes.
We can't change the past but learning from our past mistakes we can change the future.
And this is a very important power which we all have.
And so within reason we need to look forward as well.
We need to plan for the future.
But this should be an act of planning rather than simple daydreaming.
We all have so many things that we believe we would like to do someday.
But this is the appropriate time.
Today is the opportune day.
Here now is the place and time where we can do something to help turn our dreams into reality.
If we wish to bring about something in the future,
Our thinking about the future should be accompanied by action in the present.
Let's pause for a moment of reflection.
Let's pause for a moment of reflection.
Welcome back.
This present moment is an extraordinary gift.
Every present moment is an extraordinary gift.
Everything that has ever happened to any of us has happened in what was then the present moment.
We were conceived in what was then a present moment.
None of us were conceived any yesterday.
When we look around us at all the achievements of humanity,
We see that each of these milestones is the result of action taken in what was then the present moment.
What was then a time called now.
The present moment is that extraordinary point sitting between past and future where everything actually happens,
Where everything takes place.
Yet we read about the percentage of our time which we seem to spend outside this moment of potential.
Regretting the past,
Worrying about the future,
Wanting to be somewhere else while the present unique moment goes by unnoticed.
Life is short.
And the longest life passes quickly.
It's so important that we spend more of this life in a state of presence and awareness.
So we give thanks for writers and philosophers who encourage us to live in the present.
Encouraging us to put this present moment to good use.
We think of Eckhart Tolle and his power of now.
We think also of the Buddhist monk and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh and his quote,
To live in the present moment is a miracle.
The miracle is not to walk on water.
The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.
Words from Thich Nhat Hanh.
So in the days ahead,
Let us try to become more aware of this present moment.
To recognize its wonders.
To appreciate its possibilities.
This present moment which we can all put to good use if we stay aware.
And this awareness helping each of us to make this world a kinder,
Gentler place.
A happier place for everyone.
And now the divine in me bows to the divine in you.
Or as it's put more poetically,
My soul honours your soul.
I honour the place in you where the entire universe resides.
I honour the light,
Love,
Truth,
Beauty and peace within you.
Because it is also within me.
In sharing these things we are united.
We are the same.
We are one.
Namaste.
