As human beings, we tend to spend much of our time either looking back at what we have done or forward to what we plan to do. Even within the framework of our spiritual path, we prepare ourselves for this event or for that cosmic opening, when x, y, or z will happen and we will be able to go to our next level.
My question is this: What has happened to today?
What is happening to this moment right now?
Consider the man who works for decades in a profession he really doesn’t want to be in, so that after he retires, he will finally be able to enjoy himself and do all the things he always wanted to do. But what happens to all of those precious moments in between his mediocre present and his vision of a wonderful future? Moreover, what if he never gets to that “free time” that he’s so looking forward to?
How many of us live our days, our weeks, our months, even our years like this man waiting for what will come or, conversely, reflecting on what was?
To live in the present is to get up and say, “Wow, isn’t it fabulous that I can see the sunrise? Isn’t it wonderful that I can experience all of those things in my life that make me happy?”
Sure, there are probably things in our life that perhaps we would rather do without, and there are certainly responsibilities we need to fulfill to be able to be where we are. On the other hand, there are so many gifts in the present moment that we don’t speak about or even acknowledge. And, God forbid, nobody knows if tomorrow or even the next moment in time will be there for us.
There is so much power in the ability to embrace who we are right now in this moment, and in so doing, to open ourselves up to all that we are and can be.
Karen Berg is the Spiritual Director of the Kabbalah Centre in Los Angles, CA