It’s All Happening… Right Now
I got a puppy during peak pandemy time. Since getting him my life has been infinitely better. One of the many perks of having him in my life is our morning walks. I get so much clarity getting outside first thing in the morning with him.
I will sometimes listen to a walking meditation, or a podcast, or read on my Kindle. Last week, I was reading The Daily Stoic on my Kindle app, and that day’s passage was something I needed to hear. Side note: I won’t rant but I love The Daily Stoic and it’s my 3rd time reading.
Anyways, the passage was below. I posted this on our Instagram story that day because I felt others might need it too.
THE PRESENT IS ALL WE POSSESS
“Were you to live three thousand years, or even a countless multiple of that, keep in mind that no one ever loses a life other than the one they are living, and no one ever lives a life other than the one they are losing. The longest and the shortest life, then, amount to the same, for the present moment lasts the same for all and is all anyone possesses. No one can lose either the past or the future, for how can someone be deprived of what’s not theirs?”
—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 2.14
Today, notice how often you look for more. That is, wanting the past to be more than what it was (different, better, still here, etc.) or wanting the future to unfold exactly as you expect (with hardly a thought as to how that might affect other people). When you do this, you’re neglecting the present moment. Talk about ungrateful! There’s a saying— attributed to Bil Keane, the cartoonist—worth remembering: “Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” This present is in our possession—but it has an expiration date, a quickly approaching one. If you enjoy all of it, it will be enough. It can last a whole lifetime.
I’ve been having a lot of questionable thoughts lately. Will my business idea work? When am I going to open the Literate Women bank account? Will we be able to find our house this year? And will it be at a price I’m OK with? Will the market get better? Why did that person say that? Why did that person do that!? What’s their problem..? These questions live in two places: the past and the future. And they’re real questions I’ve been getting caught up in.
This passage brought me back to where I was most needed. Outside at 8:05 in the morning, my toes cushioned in my Hoka’s, my dog tugging my right hand with his leash, the light rustling of sparse branches on the trees around us, and the hushed engines of the 3 cars waiting at a stoplight.
It felt like a spell was broken as I slipped my phone into my pocket. The air seemed crisper. Fresher. Filled with the scent of growing grass and fresh coffee.
It gave me a release to put my resources into what I can do and focus on where I am physically. This reminds me of the time I was waiting for an Uber while ugly crying in Midtown. I had to focus on my breath and recite a few items in front of me to calm down: “little beet” sign, yellow taxicab, no idling sign. That’s a story I don’t know if I’ll ever share. But there’s nothing like a good grounding session to reel it all in. I could have spent the rest of our walk surrounded by those pesky thoughts. A carousel moving backward into the past, then hard switching forward into the future. The merry-go-round from hell.
Later that day, I opened the Literate Women LLC bank account at the same bank where I opened my first (and current) checking account. My grandmother took me when I was 16 years old. To see myself there almost 16 years later, alone, was a wonderful tribute to the past. But also, inspired by focusing on what piece of the puzzle I could tackle that day. It was 30 minutes of my time that put one of those swirling questions to bed.
A few words to the past, future, and present:
To the past, I see you and I thank you. You are memories, experiences, and learnings. I release you.
To the future, I’m excited to meet you. You are scary, new, and filled with hope. I release you too.
To the present, I’m here for you. Let’s do this.
If you’ve reached this far, thanks for reading. My boyfriend had foot surgery this week and I did not anticipate he would need as much attention as he did. That said, I wasn’t sure I would get this out this week. But yay! Here we are. I hope this helps you to get a little unstuck and make a move.
XOXO, B.
