Day 299
Wake up!
If you are reading this you are certainly awake (or a very talented sleep reader) … but though awake … I would like you to wake up!
Yeah, wake up and smell the roses … or coffee … or whatever it is that you would like to wake up and smell … metaphorically speaking.
This morning I was emailing a friend and we were chatting a bit back and forth and she was commenting on how she couldn’t wait for (xyz) to happen next month. And that she had (something else) planned for the following month and she couldn’t wait for that either.
And it made me think … yes, she’s excited about these events … but it felt like she was wishing away the time until they happened. That she was so engrossed in the happenings of tomorrow that she wasn’t present in the happenings of today.
And it made me wonder … how often do I do that?
I know there are times when I just want “things to be done” … such as the move, the packing, the unpacking, the redoing of the house, the yard … and looking back … all that got done but was I really present while I was doing it? Or was I just going through the motions of my daily life getting through what I had to do and looking forward to that next thing down the road?
I’m sure I did. And I find that pretty sad because today is all we really have. We need to wake up (those of us who are guilty of not living in TODAY) … and enjoy the obvious. Enjoy the present because that is all we’ve really got.
I know I do this … and I’ve noticed others doing it … my friend, my daughter, my mother. I think it’s kind of human nature … but I think it’s something we need to be more aware of.
At the Thanksgiving table my mom was saying what she was going to make for dinner on Christmas. I remember thinking at that time … why was she even thinking of that six weeks away? Why wasn’t she enjoying what she was eating NOW?
I, personally, am looking so forward to seeing my kids at Christmas this year. And yet, as much as I “can’t wait” to see them … I hope I don’t squander or wish away the time that lies between now and then.
I know that life is short and that we will never get these current moments back. Once they are gone … they are gone. Make the most of today. Make the most of now. Enjoy what is the moment.
Yesterday is the past. It is gone. Done. Over. History.
Tomorrow is the future. Maybe it’ll happen. Maybe it won’t. We can look forward to it, but shouldn’t count on it because it just might not happen (Mayan prophecy, proverbial bus).
Today is filled with precious moments. It is what we’ve got … for sure. Right here. Right now. It is a gift. That is why it’s called … The Present.