“How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.”—Annie Dillard
Life is not beginning tomorrow or next week or next year.
It’s not beginning when that promotion finally materializes or when a romantic partner comes along. It’s not beginning when the economy gets better or when those 10 pounds are lost.
Life is now
It’s now. Life is what’s happening now. And how we spend today—and all of our todays—is ultimately how we spend our lives.
Given that, what is today for you?
- Is it checking items off a To Do list?
- Is it filled with doing rather than being?
- Is it spent focused on the past and the future, but not the actual hours and minutes and moments of this day?
Being present to now
Today I called my mother and listened to her voice as she told a story, basking in the wonderful sound of her laugh. I watched a flock of geese take off in flight outside my window, marveling how they were able to get their large bodies off the ground. I watched a baseball game with the love of my life, smiling when he cheered with the giddiness of a young boy as his team won.
All these moments of actually participating in my today. Of being present to the rather ordinary events that became extraordinary when I took the time to really notice and live them.
My challenge to you is to think of today as the only day, the last day, the greatest gift day. And so I leave you with a simple question: How are you spending your days?
