Time

There are three periods of time we refer to: past, present, future. We have a habit of talking about all three as if they each exist in any given moment; as if they are are all one at the same time. We try to pull the past forward and the yank the future back into the present trying to re-shape all three around what exactly? The past no longer exists, it has ceased to be and there is nothing we can do to change or re-align those events. The future has yet to arrive and it is contingent upon causes and conditions that likewise have yet to arrive. As a result, there is nothing we can do until all those things come into being in the future. That leaves us with just this moment and all the things that happen to make this moment what it is. When we are busy pulling and yanking at the past and the future we too often miss what we have now, at this moment, and before we know it, this moment has faded into the past and we start all over again. It is very hard to let go of the past and not worry about what happens next. It may be the hardest thing we try to do. Living fully present in this moment is our challenge and our gift---to ourselves and ultimately to others.