Recently, I was speaking with a friend, reminiscing about the good old days—those carefree times when we lived without worry, fully enjoying the now. We didn’t dwell too much on the future; we just assumed things would fall into place. Besides, we thought we had all the time in the world to figure out life’s deeper questions. There was no urgency to look beyond the moment.
Fast forward to today, and everything feels different. We find ourselves anxious about tomorrow, weighed down by invisible deadlines and self-imposed expectations. Constantly measuring our progress against some checklist—boxes we thought we’d have ticked by now. Damn those boxes. And damn the societal pressures that created them in the first place. Who even came up with these timelines? Upon which, we are crumbling, yet we hesitate to admit it, let alone confront them head-on. Without doubt, it feels as if we’re running out of time, always recalculating, redrawing, and obsessing over the future.
My conversation with my friend was full of consolation—we’re both facing the same struggles. And there’s something comforting in knowing you’re not alone, that your thoughts aren’t absurd. We all have silent expectations, unconscious goals we’ve set for ourselves: By this age, I should have done this, accomplished that… But life doesn’t always unfold in a straight line. The path twists, turns, and sometimes, it detours entirely.
Yet, amidst all this, we have a choice. We can choose to be present. Yes, truly present, in this very moment.
I am a firm believer in the journey rather than the destination. We will get there—but in what state will we arrive? What’s the point of reaching our goals if we’ve lost the beauty of the present along the way? Moreover, why sacrifice today’s joy for an uncertain tomorrow? When we don’t even know how many days we have.
So, what if we chose to be here? Right here.
To fully embrace this moment—to enjoy laughter with family, the golden hues of a sunrise, the stillness of a sunset, the rhythm of a workout, the thrill of a drive, the depth of our relationships, the simple beauty all around us. What if we learned to appreciate life one day at a time?
The Bible says (and I paraphrase), Sufficient are the troubles of each day. And who by worrying can add a single hour to their life?
I love this verse. It has changed me.
I used to be a chronic worrier, but this truth set me free. I’ve learned to trust that God has me exactly where I need to be. And, if He needs me elsewhere, He will lead me there. Therefore, this gives me peace. Yesterday? It’s done. I can’t change it. The future? I have no control over it. But what I do have is now. And I refuse to let it slip by unnoticed.
So I choose to be present. To write, to walk this journey with those around me, to engage with my mind, body, and soul. Because today, this very moment, will be history by tomorrow.
I want to feel more, hear more, listen more, be here.
To be present for my friends—not just physically, but emotionally. To be there for my family, to listen, to truly engage. And to take in every moment, whether calm or chaotic. I don’t want to move through life oblivious, detached from what is happening within me and around me. Surely, I want to savor my emotions—the good, the difficult, the raw. To embrace them all. And, to work through the parts of me that need refining. Additionally, to love myself in the process, without letting the worries of tomorrow steal the joy of today.
So, I pose this question to you:
What if you were truly present?
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