the present moment is the only moment

“Life is available only in the present moment.”

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Life doesn’t exist in the past; it’s just a memory–and a memory that is probably not an accurate description of what happened. Instead, it’s a description of our perception of that moment, maybe even influenced a little by what we wanted to happen in that moment. Nonetheless, that memory is not life.

Life doesn’t exist in the future, well… because the future hasn’t happened yet–I’m not educated enough to bring in the possibilities of different timelines or multiverses, so we’ll leave those out of the discussion.

Which leaves us with the truth in Thich Nhat Hanh’s quote that life is only available to us in the present moment–this moment, right now.

Yet, so many of us are constantly living in the past or thinking of the future and we miss out on actually living in the present moment, the only moment that actually brings us life.

If I were in the market for a new tattoo that was a phrase, I think I’d get Hanh’s quote tattooed somewhere I would frequently see it as a constant reminder to enjoy life in the present moment. I don’t spend much time in my past, at least not consciously; when I’m not in the present moment, I’m thinking about the future and what I want to bring to the future present moments I’ll experience.

For now, instead of getting a tattoo, I’ll settle for a notecard on my desk and just casually remind myself that life is only available in the present moment.

See you tomorrow and keep pursuing,

JC