JANUARY II

BEING PRESENT COMMENTARY:
A wise man once told me, “With one foot in the past and one it the future, you crap on today.” To spite the
crudeness in his wording, whenever I find myself obsessing about what I should have done, or worrying about
tomorrow, his words call me back to the present moment.

The truth is one second ago is gone. It maybe lovely to stroll down memory lane, but it is detrimental to
waste the present on longing for the “good old days.” However, the catch is if we haven’t dealt with pain in
our past it will catch up with us, and that you can only deal with its trauma right now. Also we need to
remember that “Tomorrow Land” well it is a place in a theme park and doesn’t even exist. It is a nice place
to visit, but no one can actually live there.

As a species we are so distractible from the present. For example, when a master takes his dog for an
evening walk, the dog spends every moment alert to what is right in front of him. Snuffling the air for
information, cupping his ears to capture every sound, focusing his curious eyes on all that surrounds him, as
he basks in every thing each moment brings. Meanwhile, the master strolls along almost unconscious. He is
stewing about something someone said to him that morning, or worrying about the pile of work he has to
face tomorrow, completely oblivious to the moments, which even a dog knows are precious things.

The residue of the past does exist. It helped make us who we are today, and its traumas leaves scars. But we
can only heal the pain if we stay present and face those emotions in the now. We need to realize that the
future is but an illusion; it cannot be changed anywhere except right here. So, If you find yourself obsessing
about the past, or worrying about tomorrow, just whisper to yourself, “Come back.” Then ask yourself,
“What can I do about this right now?” Whatever arises, pain, or plans, do what you can about them now, and
then let them go then return to the present moment.

I feel the enemies of the present moment are the “should’a, would’a, could’a’s.” We beat ourselves up with
those words, as though whipping ourselves will change the past. Another thing that pulls us out of today is
incessant planning. The “Tomorrow, I will’s...” as if we have inside information on what tomorrow will bring,  
which, quiet frankly, may not even come.

The challenge is to stay. Stay with the pain and heal it. Stay with an unknown future and make one. Stay
right here with that dog and savor the only time you will ever have...Right Now!
BEING
PRESENT
"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery.
And today? Today is a gift.
That's why we call it the present."
~Babatunde Olatunji~
REPEAT ASPIRATION EVERY DAY FOR 7 DAYS

WEEK 3 ASPIRATION:
"Today, when I find myself obsessing about the past, I will say to myself the word, 'Stay', in order to attend to the
pain I am feeling right now."

SUPPORTS

~DAY 1~
“Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”
~Mother Teresa

~DAY 2~
“The past is gone, the future is not yet here, and if we do not go back to ourselves in the present moment,
we cannot be in touch with life.” ~ Thich Nhat Hanh

~DAY 3~
“Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the
whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed.” ~ Corita Kent

~DAY 4~
“The past is a guidepost, not a hitching post."  ~L. Thomas Holdcroft

~DAY 5~
“One problem with gazing too frequently into the past is that we may turn around to find the future has run
out on us.”  ~Michael Cibenko

~DAY 6~
"Nothing ever happened in the past; it happened in the Now. Nothing will ever happen in the future; it will
happen in the Now" ~Eckhart Tolle

~DAY 7~
REST AND REVIEW

Now, without judgment review your week. This week when I found obsessing about the pain of my past,
many times I was able to remind myself to “Stay,” and attend to pain I was feeling. Now breathe in how you
felt to be able to deal with your pain in the present moment. Then breathe out the wish for everyone to share
in feeling taking care of themselves right now.  Now, look at your short-falls. This week I there were times I
found myself on able to pull myself away from my painful past. Breathe in how you felt and breathe out the
wish:  May all those who have had a painful past b e able to move forward in their lives.  Feel free to use
your own words in this practice.
REPEAT ASPIRATION EVERY DAY FOR 7 DAYS

WEEK 4 ASPIRATION:
“Today, when I find myself, worrying about tomorrow, remind myself to “Come Back” to the present
moment, where my future is made.”

SUPPORTS

~DAY 1~
“Eternity is not something that begins after you are dead. It is going on all the time. We are in it now.”    
~Charlotte Perkins Gilman

~DAY 2~
“What we do accumulates; the future is the result of what we do right now.”
~Pema Chodron

~DAY 3~
“Life lived for tomorrow will always be just a day away from being realized.” ~Leo Buscaglia

~DAY 4~
“Now! It is the most important time because it is the only time when we have any power.”
~Leo Tolstoy

~DAY 5~
“Today, well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope.”
~Native American Saying

~DAY 6~
“Life is a great and wondrous mystery, and the only thing we know that we have for sure is what is right
here right now. Don't miss it.” ~Leo Buscaglia

~DAY 7~
REST AND REVIEW

Now, without judgment review your week. This week when I found myself wondering out of the present
moment, I was able to remind myself to “come back” many times. Now breathe in how you felt to be fully
present. Then breathe out the wish for everyone to share in feeling of being truly awake.  Now, look at
your short-falls. This week I there were times I found myself worrying about tomorrow and no matter how
much I tried to come back, I returned to that worry. Breathe in the pain of worrying and breathe out the
wish:  May all those who get caught up in worrying, be spared from this pain.  Feel free to use your own
words in this practice.
NEXT
LIGHT
ENDING PRAYER:

Come, Holy Spirit,
Help me to replace the busyness of my life with a simpler lifestyle, so
I will focus on "the deeper things" in life and allow time for others.
Nourish my yearnings to understand and to appreciate myself;
keep me from being too self-oriented and unmindful of other's needs.
Fill me with trust in your consoling presence. Calm me when I am
anxious and troubled about many things.
Help me to have the courage to empty myself of everything that does
not contribute to the transformation of the world...
~Taken from: Out of the Ordinary, by Joyce Rupp~
PRACTICE
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