Now, Then, or Later?

 It is what it is, this life of ours.

How hard it is to remember this as we drift through moments we want to cling to and moments we'd do anything to avoid.  Conversations with loved ones that we want to continue forever; days at work that horribly seem to last forever.

(There are the bad ones.)

My kids start fighting (they are getting awfully good at that these days) and all I want to do is get it to stop.  Even if you are not a parent, you know these moments.  They are those moments where we'd rather be anywhere else than here.  They happen more than we want to admit.  

(The ok ones.)

Those "bad ones" aren't the only moments from which we want to escape.  Any time things are "just ok" we tend to find ourselves scrambling as well.  Why have just this when I can have more?!  This moment is ok, but I can be more, do more....

...and poof.  The moment is gone.  No more.

(The good ones.)

And those moments of bliss that we want to last forever?  Those first few months in love, the drive during which you hit every green light, the hours when the sun is shining and everyone is smiling?  Though hard to believe, clinging to these can be just as harmful as avoiding the bad moments.

When we try to escape from the "bad" moments, we pull ourselves forward...looking ahead to what might be, what could be, please-god-anything-other-than-this, if-only, when-i-have, when-i-know, ...

When we try to cling to the "good" moments, we hold ourselves back...as the moments tick on, we try to glue ourselves, hold on tightly, grab just-one-more, stay just-this-way,...

But no matter what our wishes, we do not escape into the future nor cement ourselves in the past.  All that we experience is just this moment.  And this one.  And this one.  

Why waste these valuable moments wanting anything more or less?

(And then, there's now.)

Namaste.