After the past; before the future. We are here now.

Bumped into a very good old friend of mine in Bangkok; someone I have not seen in ages. Of all places! It has been what… 10 years? Immense nostalgia crept up and took over the next few days of my trip. Post-reminiscence of the life, love and friendships I had back then… I began looking at the present with deep peering eyes. Sure, we know it would be nice to bump into someone special in our past. We expect that. We expect it would feel all manner of wonderful but in that moment, you can’t package those emotions and thoughts. That moment in time is as how you experience it.

It is remarkable how the present can be easily taken for granted. Not because it was deliberate, not because we do not care; but because it was simply a passing moment. A second that ticks away to the next. We spur ourselves onwards for better and greater. For our future. For fulfilment. For satisfaction. What happens to the now? If our actions today impact our future in some form or another, why do we brazenly disconnect with it before the final destination? The people we have in our lives, the emotions we share, the challenges we endure and the achievements we gain… how deeply do we embrace these moments? To ingrain them in our hearts and minds with the desperation and joy of a naked soul. To feel the loss if that present moment was taken away.

The hopes we harbour in our hearts for ourselves and others, they are not just for the future… they are here with us. Now. We are often reminded of the past, typically as a learning experience. To guide and lead a better future us — career, wealth, friendships, love, spirituality, etc. But it is a kindness to remind ourselves of the present; because we are living and breathing it as we speak.