Here & Now

When I was younger, I remember going to Rite Aid on the corner of Meridian Ave & Lincoln Rd. on Miami Beach, and standing inside reading every magazine on the magazine stand, but purchasing none.  I would read all the teeny-bopper ones, specially the horoscope section, hoping to read what my future had in store for me.  When I didn't like what a horoscope would say, I would close the magazine and look for another, until I found what I wanted to "hear". 

I have always been a very impatient and anxious person.  I used to always ponder every action and lose sleep over the infinite what-ifs that invaded my head at night, if I made one decision over another.  It drove me nuts.  As the years passed, I discovered the self-help isle in book stores, and then, instead of standing inside Rite Aid, I would spend countless afternoons inside Barnes & Nobles (to name one) and skim through dozens of books per afternoon spent there.  I wanted answers.  I wanted them handed to me, a guided map with an exact path to follow.

It wasn't until close to a year ago that I discovered the art of living in the NOW.  I had had moments in life where I had the pleasure of experiencing it, but never knew how to hold on to it.  Now, I know the joy of living in it.  I must say that I still have slip-ups once in a while when I wonder an occasional what-if, but with much less frequency than before.  I'm learning to let go.  Let go of the ghosts of the pasts and let go of the burdens of the future.  It is what it is.  What I'm practicing every day is the joy of acting in the here and the now.  Nothing else is important. 

It doesn't matter what will happen with whatever decision I make, the important thing is that I make a decision NOW.  Even if the decision is to not make a decision.  It's an awareness that I know, no matter what I choose will lead me to the correct path with its correct circumstance.  It's empowering to feel that you're responsible for your actions and also embrace that responsibility as a duty to yourself and others around you.  When you act HERE & NOW, you allow others to see that fear is not playing a part in your decision process, you're acting out of love and respect for yourself and the flow of your own life. 

May the Universe bless infinite wisdom on all of you to always act HERE & NOW as well.