Perhaps this topic will sound a bit cliche at first glance, but I feel as though TamaTalk is one of the very few online places I can be truthful and honest. And I appreciate all of you hearing what I have to say. That, in itself, is a wonderful gift.
So why live in the present moment? Is it really that easy to live in the present moment without being bombarded with thoughts of what's going to happen tomorrow or what happened to you yesterday? For me, this is difficult. I am constantly on alert, thinking or worrying about what tomorrow will be like. If I'm not thinking about tomorrow, then I'm reassessing what I could have done better yesterday. This kind of thinking is more common than you think - especially in Western society. We are stressed about getting in to a good school, achieving high marks, having the latest gadgets, making more money with work and climbing the social ladder to become something or someone that is more highly recognized. This endless pursuit of constant achieving to be better than what you are today is tiring - and often unnecessary.
This past weekend, a good friend of mine died suddenly. I am shaken to the core, oddly enough. We all deal with death as it is an unescapable and permanent aspect of living a physical life here on Earth. But I am shaken from this experience. What makes this death so different from when my Uncle passed away or when my childhood family dog died from old age? Perhaps it is the sudden and unexpected emotions I am dealing with. Or maybe it's the actual lack of his physical being; I cannot touch nor hear him any longer. While this greatly saddens me, I think what has stirred me so greatly is the fact that he was able to live so beautifully in the present moment. He was never worried about tomorrow or what happened yesterday - he was always completely present with where and who he was at that precise moment. Like if he was being served food in a restaurant, he didn't think about how the food could be better, he just simply ate the food and enjoyed what he was eating at that exact moment. He didn't worry about the fact that his glass of wine was almost empty, he just enjoyed drinking what he had available - and that was good enough.
While I was never envious of his ability to be present, I was simply just aware of his presence. I enjoyed his presence. I was reminded of the present just by being with him. And how he no longer exists. So I sit here and think about the lack of enjoyment I will no longer have simply because he's gone. But then I think: he wouldn't want me to think of my life in this way. He would want me to be present, he would want me to stretch my wings and do the things I want. He would want me to live my life for today because there's no other moment that exists except for NOW. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow doesn't exist so why not accept that what I have now is good and make the most of it.
Easier said than done - considering the amount of peer pressure, social stigmas, laws, regulations, etc that we live with day to day. Not to say that all of these things are bad, we are just too easily influenced by them at times. Sometimes we take things too seriously and we blow life out of proportion.
Before I create a novel out of this post, I'll just cut to what I want this message to say: If you have things you want to do in your life, do not wait. Do whatever it takes to make those dreams come true. And if that dream doesn't come true anytime soon, at least smile that you did all you could to make it happen...and that something better will come out of the situation. My friend who passed had a lot of dreams - but he also pursued and accomplished a lot of his dreams. I find that truly inspiring because all of those dreams were created from a single thought...and they manifested themselves in to actual experiences. How incredible is that? In my eyes, it looks like magic. We are here to experience wonderful things - I hope we can all take a moment to cherish what we have now is truly and undoubtedly wonderful. Let's live in this present moment!
**--__Mark, I hope that you are laughing and smiling as brightly as I remember. You were and will forever continue to be an inspiration in my life.__--**
So why live in the present moment? Is it really that easy to live in the present moment without being bombarded with thoughts of what's going to happen tomorrow or what happened to you yesterday? For me, this is difficult. I am constantly on alert, thinking or worrying about what tomorrow will be like. If I'm not thinking about tomorrow, then I'm reassessing what I could have done better yesterday. This kind of thinking is more common than you think - especially in Western society. We are stressed about getting in to a good school, achieving high marks, having the latest gadgets, making more money with work and climbing the social ladder to become something or someone that is more highly recognized. This endless pursuit of constant achieving to be better than what you are today is tiring - and often unnecessary.
This past weekend, a good friend of mine died suddenly. I am shaken to the core, oddly enough. We all deal with death as it is an unescapable and permanent aspect of living a physical life here on Earth. But I am shaken from this experience. What makes this death so different from when my Uncle passed away or when my childhood family dog died from old age? Perhaps it is the sudden and unexpected emotions I am dealing with. Or maybe it's the actual lack of his physical being; I cannot touch nor hear him any longer. While this greatly saddens me, I think what has stirred me so greatly is the fact that he was able to live so beautifully in the present moment. He was never worried about tomorrow or what happened yesterday - he was always completely present with where and who he was at that precise moment. Like if he was being served food in a restaurant, he didn't think about how the food could be better, he just simply ate the food and enjoyed what he was eating at that exact moment. He didn't worry about the fact that his glass of wine was almost empty, he just enjoyed drinking what he had available - and that was good enough.
While I was never envious of his ability to be present, I was simply just aware of his presence. I enjoyed his presence. I was reminded of the present just by being with him. And how he no longer exists. So I sit here and think about the lack of enjoyment I will no longer have simply because he's gone. But then I think: he wouldn't want me to think of my life in this way. He would want me to be present, he would want me to stretch my wings and do the things I want. He would want me to live my life for today because there's no other moment that exists except for NOW. Yesterday is gone and tomorrow doesn't exist so why not accept that what I have now is good and make the most of it.
Easier said than done - considering the amount of peer pressure, social stigmas, laws, regulations, etc that we live with day to day. Not to say that all of these things are bad, we are just too easily influenced by them at times. Sometimes we take things too seriously and we blow life out of proportion.
Before I create a novel out of this post, I'll just cut to what I want this message to say: If you have things you want to do in your life, do not wait. Do whatever it takes to make those dreams come true. And if that dream doesn't come true anytime soon, at least smile that you did all you could to make it happen...and that something better will come out of the situation. My friend who passed had a lot of dreams - but he also pursued and accomplished a lot of his dreams. I find that truly inspiring because all of those dreams were created from a single thought...and they manifested themselves in to actual experiences. How incredible is that? In my eyes, it looks like magic. We are here to experience wonderful things - I hope we can all take a moment to cherish what we have now is truly and undoubtedly wonderful. Let's live in this present moment!
**--__Mark, I hope that you are laughing and smiling as brightly as I remember. You were and will forever continue to be an inspiration in my life.__--**
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