The Here & Now

It seems that there is a lot of talk about being present. The absence of being in the moment could be the reason life seems to pass us by.

But what exactly does being in the moment look like? Does this mean we shouldn't think about the past or that we should stop trying to anticipate the future experiences. 

Life is a succession of still moments, each containing exactly what needed to be there. And each containing its own bit of perfection.

I have to say I am a big believer in the beauty and joy that can be found in every tick of the clock throughout the day. Trying to find peace, love, happiness, and humor as often as possible. 

It can be harder than one would believe sometimes. Its easy to get stuck in a mistake or mishap that happened and continue the past moment on repeat, either determining how it could go different or stressing over the calamity and why you did it in the first place. 

Other times thoughts of anxiety and angst drum up determining how you need to act about something in the future or the turn of events that seem to dismantle your routine and it wasn't expected.

There are all sorts of things that can take us away from what we might be doing in the present moment. Even boredom can be an excuse to let your mind wander, maybe dreaming of cliff diving while your doing the dishes. 

The interesting thing to is, we can't even think of two things at the same time. Meaning that your brain must do a completely different set of tasks when you ponder about the past or future. You are completely gone for those moments. 

While you ponder a time before or a time after, the brain must make completely different connections and is not focusing on what is currently happening. It seems as though we are doing two things at once but the reality is that we are not. This is why we can be so clumsy or unresponsive when we try to have a conversation while planning the day, or bump the car in front of us because we were trying to settle the kids. 

As humans we are meant to focus on a small certain set of things at a time. I think this is what mindfulness is all about. Doing things maybe a bit slower than usual. Maybe sometimes doing tasks in different orders than usual to attract more attention, more presence in that moment. 

What if we are inherently wired to be a present being. You often see images or comments pertaining to the happiness of an animal over humans. Comparing the presence of one vs. the other. Dogs for instance are almost literally thinking about the exact time frame their in. Where the owner might be wondering off in his head worrying about a coming meeting or if they should have taken that last job they turned down.

Don't get me wrong, learning from our mistakes is a good thing. And constantly setting goals for the future I believe is a necessity. But I truly believe there is a time for everything.

A time to think about your future goals and plans, times to reminisce and enjoy past moments. All that stress in between though seems to only shorten our span of life prospectively.

If we are not in the moment, we are literally missing out on life. Some people are heard saying, life goes so fast. Well, maybe part of the problem is that we are missing some of it. Our brains and minds are truly firing neurons that aren't even conducive to the present. Our conscious awareness is living in a different moment and time. 

Being present might help us notice a little more and be able to perceive the little joys that come along with the big as well as small things we do throughout our days. If we take the time to breath, relax, and see ourselves presently in all the space around us, we may just have the ability to become more aware and live a more fruitful life. 

Do we have the ability to see reality from multiple different angles and perspectives at once? Or, could living in the present, without wondering thought, lead us to notice more of the reality around us, making us better at deciding the next move to lead towards our goals and ambitions? 

-RA BAR