Inertia - Nº138
Don't think about tomorrow, today
Presence is where life happens. Time and reality can make you panic. The past can sting, while the future can have you tripping. But ultimately, nothing matters more than learning to enjoy the beautifully ragged textures of the moment you’re in.
Slow down even more, and you’ll feel the day’s beauty. The small connections and satisfactions of getting things done. The movement of your mind as it wanders from one thought to the next. The brilliance of the body as it moves and makes sense of space. The new and familiar sounds of the city’s streets or nature’s local music that sound different from hour to hour.
I know it’s not always as luxurious. But everything good starts here.
You can either appreciate the pastures around you today or fret over more than you need. Most people subconsciously wring themselves dry worrying about tomorrow. Planning for problems that may never exist. Or agonising over people who aren’t watching.
As Heather says, get a sledgehammer to your window of anxiety on the world and allow air and light to pass through. No one is ahead or behind you. Don’t think about who has it easier or harder, works faster than you, or is best or better. Your life isn’t a competition. No one is ahead or behind. There’s no race and no finish line. There’s no script. No one is watching and analysing your every move.
Right now, there’s only today. You can escape those burdens and pressures slowing you down. You can sing the songs you want, speak the language you like, and change your career. No one will come for you if you don’t learn everything in time or always meet expectations.
What makes you special is how you let the world and its beauty show itself to you. You can be open to the experiences happening around you. You can allow your problems to bounce off more easily. If you’re fully present, you can become smarter and more full of love than any other time you’re alive.
What most people struggle with is they’re often knowingly or unknowingly sculpting their lives in two ways: based on a life that isn’t theirs or with unrealistic expectations and timelines. Each day can be monumentally different from one to the next. Worrying about a tomorrow that has nothing to do with you will only neglect the quality of the space you create inside as the day sails on.
Every new day is for you to be exactly who you are, where you are, without a clock ticking down. You don’t have to overanalyse or let neurotic habits take permanent control. You don’t need to fit anyone else’s shape or mould yourself into something just to be more comprehensible to others. Beauty is created by patient hands. Not tomorrow or the next day, but done bit by bit throughout today.
You don’t waste your years. Your years lead you to the spot you’re in with the knowledge you’ve accumulated, the connections you’ve made, and the solutions you’ve put in place to keep your life consistent and meaningful.
We’re consumed and pestered with digital distractions these days. It’s even more important to remind yourself to step away more often. Get outside and remind yourself that it’s your year to slow down and get a better feeling for where you are. You don’t need to spend every moment trying to be someone better. You don’t need to hurry. You don’t need to work continuously on plans, systems, and lists. Let the hours of the day guide you to the soothing centre of who you are. Feel every little sensation, every movement, idea, sound. Our gift as humans is being able to take in the day, slow down, and breathe. So stay exactly where you are and feel every moment of it.