Relish the Present!

Someone once asked me, “Would rather be able to see the future or change the past?”  Without hesitation I replied.  “I can see the future.  But it doesn’t help me get there any faster.”  No matter what—without exception—in order to get to the future you have to go through the present.

That means even if you can see it, even if you know, like many people do, when change is coming, you still have to live this moment—this very moment to get there.

Sometimes this is hard.  I mean when you know you are ready to have a new job, or you are looking forward to changing this about your life, or you can’t wait to go on that vacation—living in the present can be very difficult.  It’s like you want to get to where you are going.

And yet all of the sages, both ancient and modern tell us that the juiciness, the real gems are in the present—in this very moment.

So how do you continue to enjoy the moment even when you do have advanced warning of where you are going?  This was the very question I asked myself yesterday.  And the answer that came to me was, relish. 

The beautiful gift of knowing where you are going, whether that means a vacation or a complete change in lifestyle, is that you can relish the present that you are in.  Knowing that these moments will change can make them all the more precious.  You won’t have this job forever, or be doing this particular activity for a life time, your child won’t be this age forever, and furthermore neither will you.  Whatever it is that you are living right now will change—guaranteed. 

So use that knowledge to appreciate what is around you.  Instead of pining for what is to come, recognize the luscious opportunity you have right now to enjoy what IS in front of you.  Revel in the preciousness of what is here.

Ironically enough, this very act is what will lead you unequivocally into the future.  Think about it.  When you know you have enjoyed every bit of what is in front of you, you are that much more ready for the change when it comes.  You haven’t wasted a single precious moment—you know you have been present and happy in each one of them, you know you will leave that experience without regret.

So try seeing your life as a continuum—knowing that this moment will change will help you relish it all the more.

This is an excerpt from the June 2009 Spreading Blessings Media Newsletter.  To sign up to receive these monthly newsletters in your inbox click here.  More about Aimée and her work can be found at spreadingblessings.com.