Past, Present & Future #96

Have you ever noticed how often your mind drifts into the past, or races ahead into the future?

I really became aware of this during my first 10-day silent meditation retreat over 18 years ago.

It was just meditation, walking, eating, resting. No talking, no technology, no eye contact. No reading, no writing. Just you and your mind.

And wow… what a revelation.

I remember sitting there, meditating, and catching my thoughts saying: “Soon it’ll be time to eat.”

Then during meals, I’d think, “Almost time to rest.”

And while resting, I’d anticipate the next meditation.

I was always one step ahead; never connected to the moment.

I suddenly became aware: I wasn’t fully present for the life I was actually living.

To this day, I still catch myself drifting. Thinking about something that already happened. Or imagining something that hasn’t yet. It’s human—but it’s also a habit worth noticing.

Because as cliché as it sounds, this moment—this day—is all we have. This is it! There is only this moment… and this moment… and this moment.

When we live each moment fully, we feel radiantly alive. And life shows us what to do next.

Celebrate the unfolding. Trust that you’ll know what to do in each moment. But you have to be present for it to experience it.

Training the mind to be present is no easy task. But it’s one of the most powerful practices we can commit to.

So here’s a little invitation for today…

Notice when your thoughts drift to the past or the future… and gently come back to now. Use your breath as an anchor. Feel your feet on the ground. Scan your environment. Appreciate something or someone in your current moment.

Because our real life? It’s not back there. It’s not out there. It’s right here.

Let’s show up for it, fully and heroically.