Perhaps one of the hardest things for me to do is to give the person or situation in front of me my full attention. I constantly anticipate the next thing: my to-do list for the day, what I will say in response to what you’re saying now, what time it is (because otherwise I’m sure to be very late)…all without really listening.
Other times, I live in my hopes for the future, wondering about all the vast possibilities that lie before me. What will I be doing a year from now? Where will I be? Who will I know? Or, sometimes I fret about the future—will I raise enough money to stay on mission? What if I’m supposed to go back to school? How will that work?
As a result, I miss a lot of what people say. I miss a lot of the joy that’s right in front of me, because I’m not content to be present and live my right now, even though it’s all I have.
There have been a few times that I’ve succeeded in staying present, and those times are the best times. No matter what I’m doing—whether it’s spending time with those I love, or making my monthly budget, or leading a girls’ small group—no matter if it’s fun or boring, enjoyable or less-than-pleasant, when I manage to stay fully present to the task or situation or person in front of me, I am the happiest. Especially on days when my to-do list feels miles long and stress is a close friend, staying fully present to what’s here and now is the best way to not only fully enjoy what I’m doing, but to keep the stress at bay, too.
Even in the last weeks, as I’ve encouraged you, urged you to dream big, and asked you to reawaken your heart, I’ve also wished for you (and for me) to be here now.
Live your right now. That’s what’s most important. It’s our right now that builds us into the person we’re meant to be. Full hearts and big dreams are merely guides and signposts to help us on that road. They give us hope when we can’t see where the road leads, but they are not the road itself.
I say this to myself as much as I say it to you: Please, friend, be here now. At the end of the day, we don’t have time not to.
Be here now. You don’t want to miss this.
