The Future is Made of This Moment…
“If we’re not aware of what is happening in the moment because we are caught up in our thoughts or reveries, or in the grip of worry or other strong emotions, it’s as if we have left our house… But the beauty of awareness is that we can always return home to ourselves.” —Kaira Jewell Lingo
In times of transition or a busy fall season, it can be easy to project ourselves into worrisome future outcomes. And we don’t even realize we’ve figuratively left our body or our ‘home’ when we do this, causing us to feel even more unsettled.
In her book We Were Made For These Times, Kaira Jewel Lingo reminds us that coming back home to ourselves is only one breath, one moment of awareness away.
“Because the future is made of this moment.
If we take good care of this moment, even if it is very difficult,
we are taking good care of the future.”
―Kaira Jewel Lingo
How do you come back home to the present moment? One of my favorite ways is to put my hand on my heart, close my eyes, and take a few deep breaths.The ‘trick’ is to be attentive enough to know when to pause for a moment like that. From a sticky note that reminds us to “Pause Now” to a timer set for every hour or so to call us to a deep breath, there are many ways to inspire us to come back home. And home in this present moment is where we create our future.
May your future be bright and built on present moments experienced one sweet breath at a time.
The Present Moment
“Breathing in, I calm body and mind. Breathing out, I smile. Dwelling in the present moment I know this is the only moment.”
—Thich Nhat Hanh
Your Body, Your Friend
“And I said to my body softly, ‘I want to be your friend.’ It took a long breath and replied, ‘I have been waiting my whole life for this.’”
—Nayyirah Waheed
Mitta ~ Friend
Full of trust you left home,
and soon learned to walk the Path—
making yourself a friend to everyone
and making everyone a friend.
When the whole world is your friend,
fear will find no place to call home.
And when you make the mind your friend,
you’ll know what trust
really means.
Listen.
I have followed this Path of friendship to its end.
And I can say with absolute certainty—
it will lead you home.
—Source: The First Free Women: Poems of the Early Buddhist Nuns by Matty Weingast, and as featured in Kaira Lingo Jewel’s book, We Were Made For These Times.
