Grateful for the gift of now

Our present is brief. It is fleeting, perpetually temporary. The present moment is a constant passing.

Our past is fixed. We can see our past differently but cannot make it different. It is unchangeable.

Our future is unknown. Whatever we imagine might be ahead, whatever plans we have, there is no guarantee any of it will happen. No matter what we envision or expect, the future remains equally uncertain. We can envision with confidence or with doubt. We can expect to experience our dreams or our fears. The uncertainty of the future remains regardless of our expectations.

The present. The past. The future. Humans have written about these forever because we have struggled with them forever.

We struggle to capture the present, to live in the moment, mindful and grateful for the gift of now. We struggled when we had no iPhones, no youth sports travel clubs, no 24/7 news cycle. We struggle with it still.

We struggle to accept the uncertainty of the future. We have always wanted to control the future by dictating, predicting, or guaranteeing it. For all our sophistication, the best we can say about the future is that things will change. The rest is unknown.

We struggle to accept the past, either that it is gone or that it happened. On the one hand, we want the past to return and replace the present. On the other hand, we want the past to be different or better than it was. It can do neither of those things. It can only stay where it is in the past.

When we try to resurrect the past or refuse to bury it, we lose the moment in front of us, making the future appear more uncertain and unstable. Our struggle to accept the past feeds our fear of the future, which leaves us disconnected from the present.

Here we are today, like every soul who lived before us, navigating the present, past, and future. Their struggle is our struggle. Our struggle was their struggle. Only the environment is different.

Do not complain about the past. Accept it and learn from it.
Do not worry about the future. Prepare to meet it.
Do not disconnect from the present moment. Maximize it.

ONE FINAL THOUGHT:
Pin this quote in your kitchen.