Friday 8 February 2019

Live in the Present

People give us advice all day long - parents, lifestyle coaches, magazines, self-help gurus.  What a pity most of it is wrong!

Here is some food for thought:
Live in the present - This piece of advice is so often cited it has become a reason for NOT living in the present, since so much of the "present" now consists of people lecturing us about how we should live in it.

Actually the recollected past and the anticipated future are both quite nourishing places.  The present nearly always involves a soup of distractions; it contains the thing that's important, plus lots of things that get in the way.

Recollecting the moment you stood in front of a favourite painting/sculpture, for example, is often better than the moment itself, in recollection you can strip out all the things that were unimportant: your sore feet, the couple talking loudly behind you, the queue for admission.  Memory pares down the moment to its essence.

The same is true of the birth of a child, a kiss, a bushwalk.  In memory, the experience is at its most intense and pure.  After remembering these things in blissful reverie, we can then anticipate similar, or better, experiences in the future, the hoped-for experience fizzing in our mind in a way that is pure and unencumbered.

I'm not attacking the present.  It's highly useful in prompting both recollection and anticipation - the real things in life.

"Your present circumstances don't determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start."
~~ Nido Qubein


Here is a picture of Joseph, 10 years ago (July 2009).  Love that boy!

10 comments:

Christine said...

Good thoughts, the present is the reality I guess. Joseph must be a teenager now.

Debra She Who Seeks said...

What a wonderful photo!

Mike Smith said...

Wise words, as always, Peggy - and what a braw photie!

miruspeg said...

@Christine - I once read that once we understand that the present moment is not only created by present thoughts, but also by past thoughts, we can know the reason why we still experience certain things in the present that are not in alignment with our present thoughts. The causes of our present reality may extend far into the past. Therefore when we look at what is happening now and wonder how did we create it, realize that it is very well the effect of our thoughts and actions months and years ago.
Joseph will be 13 this year.....and still a lovely soul.

@Debra - Thanks, Joseph and I used to hang out one day a week for the first five years of his life and I took heaps of photographs. xxx

@Mike - Thanks mate and oldie but a goodie. I was very lucky he enjoyed having his photo taken. xxx

Marja said...

Good thought and good thinking outside the box. I think you are right. Good memories and looking forwards to the future can be just as stimulating and exciting. I think it goes well together. Enjoying the moment as much as you can gives you more treasures memories :)

Tanza Erlambang said...

wonderful photo.
have a great day

Bill Lisleman said...

Like the picture. Smiling people especially kids are the best.
Coming over to your blog often offers yet another way to view the world or should I say the events of the world.
Past, present, future - they are all important to consider. Certainly they are ALL connected. Maybe that should be a keyword - connection.
So as I read this I recalled a moment I felt connected.
I was by myself in Ireland (only important because it was totally new place to me) walking against the wind blown mist. I was amazed how it felt gentle on my face but yet quickly soaked my clothes. It hard to describe the feeling. The universe noticed me in that moment and I noticed it.

miruspeg said...

@Marja - Thanks for your input. I think life is a balance between the past, present and future - all three are important in living a healthy, satisfying life.

@Tanza - Thanks for stopping by and leaving a lovely comment. xxx

@Bill - Thanks for sharing your wisdom and that delightful experience you had in Ireland. I like your suggestion about the past, present and future as being connected and agree 100%!
Keep shining my friend and keep connected!

Good and plenty said...

Wisdom as always, Peggy. I think living positively, being present, but also walking back in memories to relive especially the lovely things is a great gift. I can summon up delightful, touching and even naughty experiences. I also live forward because I anticipate continuing to meet fabulous people and enjoy loveliness despite... Warmly.

miruspeg said...

That is a beautifully expressed comment Candelaria.
We are on the same page my friend.
Take care and keep shining.
Peggy xxxx