Presence

You may have noticed a trend in my recent writings here at The Daily Buddha, one of immediacy or the fact that the present (the here and now) is the most important time of our lives. This is due to the fact that I can not stress the importance of understanding that the present is all we really have. Think about how much of your life and your thoughts are spent entertaining what “will be” one day. How many of us really live as though today were it? How many of us can really grasp the importance of living such a life? We convince ourselves that life will be better after we get married, have a baby, become grandparents an so on. Then we are frustrated that the kids aren’t old enough and we’ll be more content when they are. After that we’re frustrated that we have teenagers to deal with. We will certainly be happy when they are out of that stage. We tell ourselves that our life will be complete when our spouse gets his or her act together, when we get a nicer car, are able to go on a nice vacation, when we retire. How much of your life has already been SPENT thinking this way? The truth is, there’s no other time to be happy than right now. Your life will always be filled with challenges. It’s best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. One of my favorite quotes comes from Alfred D Souza. He said, “For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.” This perspective has helped me to see that there is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way. Stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get a new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until you are off welfare, until the first or fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you’ve had a drink, until you’ve sobered up, until you die, or until you are born again to decide that spent waiting is a life spent and not a life lived. There is only one time to be happy, to be fulfilled, to simply be and that is this very moment. Have a beautiful day and remember; The most precious gift we can give or receive is our presence. When mindfulness embraces life, we bloom like flowers. Peace and Love, Jim