Sadly I learned a painful lesson about the importance of living in the present. My thoughts raced on a warm, sunny morning as I rushed to a long-anticipated event - quite distracted. That’s when I missed a step on the concrete stairway leading from the train platform and tumbled down the stairs. Thankfully, no broken bones - but the bruising isn’t a pretty sight. Falls and accidents are so incredibly jarring - and are often wake up calls in themselves.

Aside from the obvious need to be present and focused when traveling, this incident has me thinking about living in the present in general. Where was I when I fell? Definitely in the future - transferring to the next train, reaching the event in time, taking in the presentations. And the futility of it all, I missed the event entirely.

Are you living in the future?

Are you in a particularly stressful time when your thoughts constantly dwell on what’s around the corner for you? During challenging days - work search, looking for a new job, building a business and other transitions, our imaginations easily weave pictures about possible futures.

Much of our suffering comes from living in, anxiety about and fear of the future. There is such power living in the present. Fulton Oursler wrote, “We crucify ourselves between two thieves: - regret for yesterday and fear of tomorrow.”

What stage are you setting?

Do you enjoy a visit to a natural history museum? Especially intriguing are the life-sized dioramas depicting animal and plant life in a specific environment. The wildlife is carefully staged against a painted background in the three-dimensional display. You feel like you’re in there with them.

In your mind are you living in your own future diorama? What does it look like? Do you continually rehearse a variety of scenarios and project yourself into them again and again? Does this worry rob you and others in your life of your presence? Leo Buscaglia, author of the best-seller, Love, wrote, “Life lived for tomorrow will always be just a day away from being realized.”

The power of the present

Living in the past or the future means losing out on the present. The present is the only moment we have. Live it well and fully. Our attention needs to be here and now - conscious, mindful, creative.

Today’s question
Where are you living much of the time — in the past, present or future?