age strong
It is possible for me to . . .
Caretake this moment.
Immerse yourself in its particulars.
Respond to
this
person, this challenge, this deed.
Quit the evasions.
Stop giving yourself needless
trouble.
It is
time to really live;
To fully inhabit the situation you happen to be in now.
~ Epectetus
As we grow older, the horizon of time has shifted and the outlines of our story become much clearer. The past and future tense should greatly diminish in importance. It is the present tense – the possibilities for pleasure, connectedness, and sense of emotional investment and inclusion – that should emerge into prominence. But all most of us do is let the present serve very little function except to form a bridge between the past and future.
Claim more fully your experience of being alive in the moment. Set yourself free of the obsession with the past and future. Dwelling there can neither remedy the past nor secure a better future.
Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now emphasizes that within the sanctuary of our heart we are given a chance at every moment to begin our lives again – regardless of age, imperfections, or personal challenges. We must trust a universe that is merciful with unlimited opportunities for new beginnings built into the very essence of things.
If you miss the moment, you miss the clues, the comfort, the love, the satisfaction and well-being. The present restores us, makes us wiser, deeper, happier. There is nowhere else you should want to go, except into another present moment.
The things to think about and do will require you to fully realize and appreciate the precious present.
Trust in the power that makes the sun rise and set. Savor the miracle of creation.
Look into the eyes of every person you engage. Practice listening attentively.
Tell three people you love that you love them – right now. This moment is always the best one in which to express your care for others.
Act as if you are a person known for inner calm: greet everyone you meet with a smile.
Forgive someone who has hurt you. Brooding – nursing old wounds, indulging in comparisons, anticipating the worse – robs the present of joy.
Come home at night and light a candle, particularly when everything goes wrong during the day. Let the candle be a testimony to your resilience and the affair you are having with life – each moment of it. See the flame as a little flickering nod to the heavens – a reminder to yourself that despite the complaints you love your life down here on earth.
Pick a day to have no regrets.
Do something silly.
Dance alone to a favorite “oldie, but goodie.”
Give yourself a day of doing nothing to balance the discordant days of doing too much. There is such a thing as sacred idleness.
No matter how difficult your circumstances think of one thing for which you are grateful. Say it aloud.
Do one thing at a time. Don’t make the bed while brushing your teeth, check your voicemail while eating lunch, or half listen to a family member while glancing at the news.
During your morning routine, look for something new at every opportunity. Tune in rather than zone out. Stay conscious as you move through your day.
Take a half-hour walk with a friend and leave your cell phone at home. Focus on discovering things about your surroundings you’ve never noticed.
Notice the season. Delight in it. Experience, appreciate and revel inMother Nature’s sensations and delights. Take advantage of what the season has to offer. Let it bring out the kid in you.
Reframe your present by finding one thing to feel joy about right now. Any happiness and peace you experience, you bring to yourself though your attitude.
This moment is our life. It is the process of living, the journey that is life itself. Live today as if there were no future. The only time is NOW.
It’s only when we truly know and understand that we have a limited time on earth – and that we have no way of knowing when our time is up – that we will begin to live each day to the fullest, as if it were the only one we had.
~Elizabeth Kubler-Ross