The present is the time of a breath: today it seems eternal, but tomorrow it will be fleeting.
Last update: 29 November 2018
Live in the present it means savoring the time that makes us be or exist in a specific place. As much as we sometimes underestimate it, everything we do in our present will form our personal baggage. The present is the time of a breath between the fingers: today you sow, tomorrow you will reap.
Living in the present means being aware of every situation, facing it and finding one's eternal in every moment. The unwary remain standing on their island of opportunity while they observe other territories. There is no other territory. There is no other life but this one.
The present is the time of a breath between the fingers and, at times, we let it slip away in view of a future that gives us torment and a past to which we give the power to chain us.
Two monks pray: one looks worried, the other smiles. The first asks the second: "How is it possible that I live in anguish while you are happy, but both of you pray for the same number of hours?". And the other replies: "You see, you always pray to ask for something, while I pray only to give thanks."
Forever is made up of moments
Although understanding the physical dimension of time that represents the succession of moments is difficult, we must know that life is now. There has never been and never will be a moment when life is not "now".
Life is no other place but this, it is no other time but this.
-Walt Whitman-
The present is so ephemeral that this sentence you have just read has already transformed into the past. And the future is what we project as we think about what to do next weekend, instead of focusing on our five senses to deal with what's in front of us. Only the present has the wonderful advantage that it can be changed by our actions and decisions.
As we waste time thinking too much about the past or worrying about the future, our present fades between our fingers. We should stop and think about how many things we lose due to attachment to past memories or fear of the future.
We are always ready to live, but we never live.
-Ralph Wando Emerson-
Present in everything we live and grateful for every moment lived
If our happiness consists mainly in reviewing memories and expectations, we will only be vaguely aware of the present moment. We will therefore continue to have a limited perception of the present, when we can actually enjoy a thousand things and learn from them, yet we have a habit of looking back or forward.
Being aware of the future and the past makes us less receptive to the present; we must begin to ask ourselves if we are really living reality. The present is the time of a breath: today it seems eternal, but tomorrow it will be fleeting.
Being present in our reality requires practice, as we lead our whole life giving free rein to thoughts that do not concern the present. Being grateful for what we have in this moment is a first step to become fully aware of the thousands of nuances of our daily life; nuances that escape if we think of something that has already happened or has not yet happened.
Gratitude is the memory of the heart.
-Lao Tse-
Live in the present without worrying about the past and the future
Everyone could get angry about something that happened, but why continue to be angry about something that is no longer there? Live the present in all its forms and be grateful for them.
The secret of a healthy mind and body lies precisely in not complaining about the past, in not worrying about the future and in not anticipating problems; rather, one must live the present moment with serenity and wisdom.
Don't linger in the past, don't dream about the future, focus your mind on the present moment
-Buda Gautama-
