A Gift for this Moment: The Present
“If you are living in tomorrow, how the hell are you going to enjoy today?” — Simon Miller.
After recently watching Simon Miller’s video, I was inspired to write an article with a similar theme about appreciating the moment.
Over and over, we hear the phrase “Today is a gift, that is why it’s called the present,” thanks, Master Oogway. Count how many times you’ve heard a self-help guru or read a book about staying positive and encountering “live in the moment.”
Heck, this even appears as one of my favorite books, 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think, by Brianna West. Five words was all it needed to strike my head and knock it back to reality, “Now is all we have.”
As cliche as it sounds, I believe in the power of this mindset through and through. I am in no way invalidating the suffering from traumatic events or extreme anxiety. However, I am advocating for those who struggle with these problems and offering a way to ease those migraine-inducing thoughts.
I am no psychiatrist and I don’t know what is the true cure for mental illnesses. What I do know is my own life experience.
There was a period in my life when I was essentially obsessed with the past. At the same time, I was barely functioning well from the anxiety I had for the future. I was caught in a tug-of-war between these two villains. Some days, one villain wins, some days, the other villain wins, and on the worst days, I was stuck in the middle being ripped apart from the center of my soul.
Traumatic events flashed before my eyes paired with existential crises about the relevance of my existence. These were the dark times I dealt with until I let go of holding on to the rope that attached me to them.
First, I slowly approached my past and told them that I accepted them. I loathed the scars I induced because of them but it was never their fault. The only reason they were pulling me was because they wanted me to understand that they were sorry for putting me through all that pain. And realizing the necessary struggles in my life that shaped me into who I am today, I forgave them.
Then, I sprinted towards my future and told them to be patient. The reason they were pulling me was because they were excited to be with me. They were thrilled to put me at the top of the mountain in as little time as possible. I told them that I’ll be with them eventually, time and reality make it inevitable for us to converge. There is no need to rush. They calmed down.
I went back to my initial position without any ropes attached. Suddenly, my surroundings became narrow yet so vast. I was underwater and a mermaid was guiding me as we swam under the ocean. The mermaid’s name was Present. They showed me the calmness of following the tides. My only concern was how do I enjoy swimming in this vast body of water.
To summarize, I confronted my problematic thoughts by accepting that they were there. And just because they are there, it doesn’t mean that they should dictate the flow of my life.
When I didn’t see them as the villains of my life anymore, they became my companions. Reminiscing and overthinking about the future still occurs from time to time. Although, right now, I’m able to swim more freely by living in the moment.
“You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.” — Henry David Thoreau.
