The Present is a Gift.

The present is a gift. It really is.

If you pay close attention to your thoughts, how many of them are of the past or future? Driving to work, laying in bed trying to fall asleep, showering, getting ready for the day... If you were to take inventory of your thoughts, how many times would you check off thoughts of the past or thoughts of the future? I know I, personally, would have lots of checks next to those two categories.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the past or of the future. We ponder about what happened yesterday, last week, last month, last year. We think about the rest of our lives - where we will be, what we will be doing, who we will be with. And we analyze why things have happened the way they did. Don't get me wrong, it's always good to think about the past to gather what we learned from certain experiences. And, thinking about the future is a good thing too - we should be strategic in our everyday decisions in order to get to the places we want to get to.

But, we can't forget about the now, which is probably just as, if not more, important as bringing closure to past experiences and dreaming of our future.

Ever just sit for 5, 10, shoot, 15 minutes and just... look around? Okay, okay. I know you might look kind of creepy just sitting and staring. But, well... just try not to look creepy. Anyway, what I mean is... sitting, feeling, and being in the present... appreciating your present state of mind, the nature around you, your ability to breath, the air, the sky, the clothes on your body that keep you warm, the lamp that is on to provide you lighting, having freedom. When we focus our energy on the past or the future, we forget about the blessings we have been given in the now.

"When one door closes, another door opens." Yes, cliche and probably a tad cheesy, but it's true. What I realize is I can't move on from something until I let it go. Many times we hang on to things that are no longer a part of our present. I think that we hang on to things because sometimes we are scared to let them go. By letting something go, we open the door to the unknown and unfamiliar... which really, are just new opportunities, new experiences, new people. If you want to meet new people, experience new things, and receive new opportunities, but for some reason it's not happening... try letting go of something (or everything, but baby steps!!) you are hanging onto from your past and start focusing your energy on the now, and I betcha you'll be pleasantly surprised.

Appreciate and learn from your past experiences, and by all friggin' means be excited about your future... But most importantly, live in the present.

The past is gone - we can't do nothin' about it. The future is out of our hands.. shoot, it's not even guaranteed. But the present is here and now. And we should cherish that.


Live this, and you'll receive new gifts every moment of your life... because the present is a gift.