"Once You Were Dreaming of a Future That is Now Your Present"

Sometimes I feel like I am desperately trying to learn how to live. Is working hard the path to fulfillment? Is achievement going to fill the void of the soul? Should I be more self-sacrificing and gain happiness only from taking care of others? Do I need to slow down more and pay attention to each act of living in a loving way, regardless of the end result? Aha! This is the sentence to pay attention to - right now.

Eckhart Tolle (The Power of Now / A New Earth / Stillness Speaks) writes about living in the now, fully appreciating each experience as it is lived. Living in the past has never been one of my problems, but I do struggle with living with an eager eye towards the future and how much happier I will be “when” I can have more time to write, “when” my husband and I can have more time together again, “when” life will feel more balanced as a mother whose actions and thoughts are constantly interrupted by small (adorable) children.

My mother and I had a discussion recently about this concept of always wishing for the life you see just down the road. This is the golden kernel that stayed with me from that conversation. “Once you were dreaming of a future that is now your present.” I just did not know that those dreams would happen, and that I would wish for other things - for a different future to take shape.

I think this insight can be valuable to the soul of a writer too when the ever-too-present restlessness, that we all feel as artists, starts to gnaw away at one’s peace of mind. There is waste in discontentment. It takes far too much energy to analyze why life could be better three years down the road: if only that magazine would publish your story that you have been submitting everywhere, or how you will only feel complete when you write a full length novel, or that there is never enough personal time in a day to finish all of your beloved writing projects. Engage in your present with fervor. Be thankful for what you are able to write, knowing that it is a gift to bring inspiring ideas together on the page. If others enjoy what you send out into the world of writing, then this is a blessing too, but it is not the goal. It is a pleasant side effect. Making connections in spirit with others through writing may never bring recognition, but it will make a difference in the life of the reader who engages more fully with their own world, because you have shown them one of life’s golden keys.

Keep sharing – keep writing. Don’t look back on your past with angst or regret. Don’t look ahead to your future life with longing. Bring to the page what you are meant to create – right now.

This is the most fruitful moment and tomorrow’s moment will be just as ripe.

Keep writing!