Monday, April 10, 2017

Living in the Now

The only thing more frightening than the past is the future.  Moving forward into uncertainty takes great courage.
Not long ago I came across maps from the sixteenth century.  Off the shores of unknown continents were written statements like, “Here are the dragons,” or “Here be the demons that devour men.”
People of that era were terrified to venture beyond the borders of the known.  Better to stay home than risk the nightmares lurking in the dark beyond.  The unknown is always scary.  That is why children imagine demons and dreadful creatures in shadowy basements and closets.  We are no different.
No one has yet ventured into tomorrow but we will all be there in twenty-four hours.  Today we churn over the imagined dragons that will be encountered.  And, paradoxically, we will wake on the next day saddened that the time has passed. 
It is the same sort of feeling we have when relatives stay with us for extended periods.  We agonize before they arrive and mourn when they are gone.

That is why living in the meantime is worthy goal.

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