I Only Exist Right Now

One day it occurred to me that the ‘Me’ from yesterday does not exist. Actually the ‘Me’ who woke up this morning…is no longer the same ‘Me’.

I hear you say: “But you do exist!”

Well, yes we all exist, but not always in the way we ‘think’. Any moment, experience, memory which we have is mostly that – a memory. If it wasn’t for our mind and its power to recollect past events, actions and memories, would this sense of ‘I’, with all its colourful attachments, be so strong?

This sole understanding leads us to realise that we are vainly holding on to this ‘I’ whom we believe we are, based on memories, past hurts, broken dreams and regrets. The past is truly a ghost, if that. If it wasn’t for this strong association of the ego with experiences, the past may no longer hold so much weight. And what about the future? Well similarly worries and dreams of the future also exist in our mind. The day our dreams manifest though, that day will be another today.

Then why are we so determined on carrying our baggage and worries around? If we carry less baggage, our hands may be free to hold more food! 🙂 Anyhow, living with the knowledge that any thought of the past, is an empty thought and thoughts of the future are attractive empty thoughts, will leave us with the now.

How many of us live life like we love life? And life is in the now. All too often, we have bucket lists of all the places we would like to visit around the world. But when we finally start ticking them off, the excitement in visiting these places remains short-lived. And often we experience the feeling of ‘happiness is in the journey, not the destination’. We work towards goals without enjoying the moment and as we ‘reach’ the destination, we live in the memory of the journey.

There are numerous occasions which I recall whereby I would excitedly prepare for trips, events, holidays or even special days, and then it’s all over in the blink of an eye. I looked back to realise that the journey was to be cherished, the moments of laughter from the stress of planning the trip were precious. And the tiny insignificant worries about what to pack were truly extra blessings. But the now is an ongoing new blessing as our life unfolds.

The journey of life itself, I realised is a blessing and we have THE ultimate guidance to make the most of our lives. If we make it a habit to simply live each moment of our lives, live like we love life, there is no destination, no journey, no past, no future. There just is…a beautiful life, in the now.

Making good memories is wonderful but life is a mixture of remembrance of old memories and enjoying moments without ‘trying to make’ anything. In this instagram age of constantly sharing everything with loads of strangers(mostly), we unknowingly let our life slip by. Hardly have we soaked in the beauty of a place, that the photos have already been shared and liked on social media. The competition for the highest amount of likes is on and the now is gone.

Living life like we love it, savouring the moment, leads to a contented existence and a peaceful sleep. Yes, waking up to the alarm may not be a happy affair, but the grumpy sleepy ‘Me’/ ‘You’ will no longer exist by food-time:)

Photo credits: Another me