This Moment In Time Will Not Be Repeated — Pay Attention to It Now

We don’t know what the next instant will bring, don’t waste this one.

Photo by Donald Giannatti on Unsplash

In the 70s, a revered spiritual leader, Ram Dass, made a statement that became the buzzword for New Agers: “Be here now.”

People are still using it today whenever someone may not be paying attention to what is happening in front of them.

Also, that reprimand is a great reminder to be mindful of where you are right now.

Stay in the present

I’m guilty, at times, of longing to be back in my beloved Marin County, CA, where I lived for over 40 years.

This county is surrounded on three sides by water and is across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco.

It is one of the most beautiful places on earth. I’m prejudiced, of course.

When my high school sweetheart and I reunited nine years ago, we decided Arizona would be our primary home.

Yes, I left my heart in Marin, not San Francisco!

However, I have made dear friends in Arizona that I adore, and I have grown accustomed to the extreme difference from Marin in terrain and weather.

Marin has cool sunny days yet foggy evenings and early mornings delivering our natural air conditioning.

Arizona is cool in the winter but excessively hot in the summers. Often the temperature is over 110 degrees.

Lots of water, wildflowers, and various trees, from eucalyptus, manzanita, oaks to firs, reside in Marin.

Arizona has cactus. And more cactus.

I woke up

However, yesterday as my Golden Retriever, Merlin, and I took our morning walk, I suddenly realized I wasn’t paying any mind to my surroundings.

I forced myself to pay attention, and thank goodness, for a wake-up call it was.

I passed Sahuro cactus blooming with bubblegum pink blossoms and Palo Verde trees filled to capacity with gorgeous yellow flowers.

The mountains in the distance were greenish-brown against the blue cloudless morning sky.

Our famous Camelback Mountain loomed on the horizon — a fantastic scene.

We stopped to watch a group of ants paired off, and each miniature couple carried a tiny stick or piece of feather jostling it between them. Perhaps to construct their home?

Nature at work. All around me was Mother Earth creating her masterpiece, and I was preoccupied with thoughts that could wait till it was time to deal with them.

Thank goodness I woke up.

How about you? Do you go about your day taking your surroundings for granted?

Each moment is lost if we do not respect and enjoy the now.

After all, we only have this moment as tomorrow is not promised.