“Happiness, not in another place but this place…not for another hour, but this hour.” ― Walt Whitman

We only live in the now. there is no other time we will be present. All we have is now.

stop,
breathe,
feel,
take it in,
right here.

We rush through life, like a hurricane roaring through our day, even the silence is filled with chaos.

Full speed, recollecting sentences, words and events. Processing multiple things at the same time.

We live in 3 time zones: past present and future. If you’re anything like me… mostly future and past.

But maybe we don’t need to leave the doors wide open. What has already happened and what is about to happen, constantly blowing in to our present… filling the precious space of right now until there’s hardly any room.

A slight lean into road rage on the way to the cafe in the morning, an unexpected interruption at work, the email that stopped you in your tracks and splashed red ink over your emotions for the rest of the day. There’s always stuff to deal with, things to process, but if we are willing…

God meets us, now.
God’s presence is now.

If we will meet God here, then He can bring His peace and wisdom into any situation.

When we can recognise this moment as a gift, then now becomes an opportunity. We can shape our life, by doing something now. Acting, imposing our best intentions upon the now. We don’t have to be held back by a bad day yesterday or a bad last year. If we use this moment to run, then we can create some distance between a past we don’t want and a new reality we are nurturing.

Transformation only ever happens now.
Not the future.

The future never comes if we don’t embrace what we have and make the most of it. Every detail is an opportunity to out perform your best self.

Brother Steindl- Rast puts it like this:

Stop – become present, awake, aware, receptive
Look – notice observe, consider, have a direct experience
Go- acknowledge, take action, do something with the opportunity and awareness, gratefulness offers you

May we receive each moment for the gift that it is.
Now.