There is no “there,” for we can never be anywhere but here.
There is no “then,” or, “when,” for there can never be any other time than now.
We worry so much, wasting an inordinate amount of time anxious for the future and guilty for our past.
We do not live in our future, for our futures are uncertain. The fractal possibilities of countless challenges and consequences leave any potential future unpredictable. Changing our past is impossible. Our pasts are filled with moments we cannot take back, leaving us grieving, remorseful, and guilty.
Thank the heavens that time machines do not exist. Every film that has ever tackled the topic of time travel has portrayed the protagonist creating more problems than he could repair. If every one of us could travel back to all the times we have made mistakes or said the wrong things or hurt the wrong people, time itself would implode (could it do that?) because each of us would have to go back to correct every other timeline changed by someone else changing timelines on top of altered timelines that broke away from shattered timelines.
No. All we can do is forgive, accept, and move forward wiser than before.
The future provides the same struggle. If you were planning to meet someone tomorrow, the encounter might go one of three ways (but then again, it might not). Each possible consequence could then offer up to three or four new possible consequences. And so on and so forth until every potential future encounter could provide over a thousand different results. Yet we worry about how the first word spoken might affect everything. Someone once told me they must worry about every possible avenue for every possible event in the day, and tomorrow, and the day after. That’s a lot of worrying.
If our past is guilt and our future is anxiety, what is left?
Now.
This moment.
If you are guilty over something you have said to someone, apologize. Chances are, they have long forgotten it.
If your ethics and character are unsullied, it no longer matters what might happen tomorrow, for you know you will act as your character dictates. I’ll refer to that old saying about how telling the truth means you have less for which to keep track.
Years ago, I was performing Reiki on a woman with crippling panic attacks that often caused her to leave work early. As I was working on her I saw a vision that she said was reference to her abusive, alcoholic father. He hated her and reminded her often. We talked about her father for a few sessions. Then one session I saw a vision of a woman leaving another woman behind and driving away. She said this was her older sister, who left home as soon as she was able, leaving the client alone with her hateful abuser. The woman told me this was important because she felt her older sister abandoned her. She met with her sister the next week, who said she never knew that’s how the client interpreted that moment. She simply left because she was old enough. This encounter affected two people in diverse ways. One was hurt at being left alone, the other oblivious to the harm done.
Sometimes when we make amends, there’s nothing for which to atone. Other times, we wish a particular person would make amends to us and find that they had no intention of causing the harm we perceived.
I had a few bullies in grade school and high school. A few months after graduation, I bumped into one of those bullies while at a bookstore. (Honestly I had no idea he even read). In a few short months he had transformed from jock athlete to punk skater and acted like we had been the best of friends all these years. He acted as if we needed to discuss old times over a few beers.
Past and future are filled with endless opportunities to hurt and be hurt, to worry incessantly, and to writhe in guilt or angst.
“OH Weeg”, I hear you say, “I need to keep these painful memories, to hold tightly these hurts, to never forget those actions that wounded me so. Even though that person is dead now, I must forever remember what a douchebag they were.”
Oh, dear reader, allow me to retort.
Do you really need to keep hurt in your heart? Do you really need to dread accidentally encountering that person the future?
Holding on to anger is like drinking poison hoping the other person will die.
How many precious hours are you willing to pay to these thoughts while the currency of time jingles in your pocket?
Stop spending your now on then and when.
The now is all there is. This moment is now. The period at the end of this sentence marks the end of this fleeting moment. Spend your time on you.
“Don’t let yesterday use up too much of today.” – Cherokee Indian Proverb
“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” – Buddha
“Life is available only in the present moment. If you abandon the present moment you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply.” – Thich Nhat Hanh
“But Weeg,” I hear you scream. “I thought we were supposed to set a goal and work toward it every day. Doesn’t that count as thinking about the future?”
Ah, yes, gentle reader. Thanks for reminding me.
We set goals on who we want to be, what kind of person we are to become. But we work toward that goal each and every moment. Each word spoken and each action taken is an opportunity to be better than we were before. To practice being our best self.
It is said that when we remain calm during a moment that would normally anger us, we train our minds to remain calm the next time, until remaining calm becomes a habit.
It is also said that we are to set a goal but to allow for a change in plans. Hell, I flunked out of college the first time. Now I’ve been to college three subsequent times and gotten straight As, despite changing fields a few times along the way.
Reside in this moment. Enjoy what each moment brings, good or bad. Nothing lasts forever, good or bad. All is moment to moment. If a good moment comes, enjoy it, for it won’t last. If a bad moment comes, enjoy it, for it is giving you an opportunity to become stronger and better and more prepared for the next bad moment.
If it never rains, would sunshine have meaning?
We lost then yesterday. We haven’t seen when yet.
Now is all we have.
Be here, in the now. This moment. And be happy in it.
Weeg
Joe “Weeg” Weigant is a Licensed Massage Therapist, Holistic Health Practitioner, Herbalist, Metaphysician, and Empowerment Coach. He combines bodywork, energy work, and coaching to improve quality of life by healing from the outside in and from the inside out.
Weeg sells Nature’s Sunshine Products, Pure Herbs Ltd., doTERRA, and Juice Plus+. Weeg suggests lifestyle changes and provides herbal remedies to his clients so they may build new habits for long life and vibrant health. He teaches Karate and Tai Chi, Reiki Certification, as well as seminars and workshops in metaphysical and spiritual matters. Weeg is available for sessions at Tri State Holistic Wellness by appointment only.
Contact by text 812.568.5356, or Facebook Messenger to set an appointment.