Live in the present....

"These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones;

they are for what they are;

they exist with God today.

There is no time for them.

There is simply the rose;

it is perfect in every moment of its existence.

But man postpones or remembers;

he does not live in the present, but with reverted eye laments the past, or heedless of the riches that surround him, stands on tiptoe to forsee the future.

He cannot be happy and strong until he too lives with nature in the present, above time."

―Ralph Waldo Emerson: "Essays and Lectures" (New York: Penguin, 1983), 270.

So much time wasted on analyzing the past, ruminating on decisions,  mistakes, missed opportunities and failures.

Too much time wasted on regret and "what ifs" - as if by torturing ourselves with the past we could somehow change the past!

Think of how silly and wasteful that exercise is for all of us!

If we knew exactly how many hours we had left in this fleeting time here on earth,  do you think we would waste a second lamenting past experiences and mistakes??

Of course not.

We need to live in the NOW - and give Thanks for the Blessings we have today! 

Because sooner or later we are going to realize that neither the past nor the unknown future matter much - it is TODAY that matters and the actions and acts we do today that have the greatest impact in our lives!

"Heedless to the riches that surround him"  --- Don't let Emerson be talking about YOU!

Happy Sunday - Stay Strong!!!!

Photo courtesy of Brad Burton ..Manhattan Beach CA.. Thank you!