Mindfulness is about focusing awareness on the present moment. I know, because I’ve just taken a moment to Google it.
I guess every moment matters and every minute counts, it’s just that maybe those in the know, recognise there’s more to know about the now, know what I mean? I’m not saying ‘now,’ is over-rated, just that every tense has it time, and maybe there’s more to being in the moment than being in the moment. I think.
Let me explain. Life is a series of ‘nows,’ so we’re told. We’re constantly ‘nowing,’ our way through life; existing in the present like a washing machine cycle stuck on spin. We’re travelling without arriving, going around and round yet eternally destined to remain in the same place: now.
But maybe not. Because when I look back with fond memories, I’m no longer in the present moment but revisiting a previous moment, consciously transported to an earlier time and place. Reflecting on the past makes me a mindful time traveler, connecting history with a silver thread of something. Similarly, looking forward to my summer holiday creates anticipation of good times; a future projection that warms me now. So maybe moments are magic. But maybe the magic lies in their capacity to traverse the timeline and transcend tense; what’s been hasn’t necessarily gone and what’s to come has already arrived.
So of course, now matters, but neither has the past exceeded its sell-by date and the future is already ripe for our satisfaction. Take a moment to think about it…