Today is a gift

"Be here now." Have you heard that statement before?

Most of us spend a lot of time looking backward and also looking forward. We're chewing over the past. Perhaps we are living in the land of Regret. Or maybe we're spending time in Blame, either reflecting on what others have said or done to us or something we have done. At the same time, we're probably worrying about the future. What should we do if this happens? What will we do if he says such-and-such or she does so-and-so?

While it's understandable that we live this way, it really isn't helpful. And it denies us the beauty and freshness of the present moment.

Can you change the past? No. It is what it is. You can accept it, learn from it and let it go.

Can you foretell the future? No. Most times what you and I worry about never materializes, and we've wasted immense energy on it. By the way, being anxious and worrying about the future is quite different from actually planning what you want to do. Dreaming and planning are positive. Worrying is not.

What you and I have is right now. Today. This moment. Stop and notice what's around you right now. What do you see? Smell? What are you feeling? Try to be in the present moment—and appreciate it for what it is. Let's try to live awake and aware. Life can be so much richer when we do.

As Bil Keane ("The Family Circus" cartoonist) said, "Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present." Enjoy the gift of today! Feel the joy!