I humbly confess that I have lived much of my adult life either in ‘fear of the future’ or ‘pain of the past’. I found it very easy really, it was like a default setting, after all pain from the past is what made me feel fear of the future! All along however I was missing something so precious, the 'Gift of the Present'.
Working at Children’s Hospital’s as a Clown Doctor Haveachat for 10 years was a deep blessing to me. I felt privileged to be invited into the lives of families who were currently being challenged in ways you or I could not possibly imagine. There is a trust and an intimacy when you share in someone’s darkness and are given the opportunity to shed some light.
It humbled me and blessed me. These children reminded me that there is just Now. There is just this minute, this visit, this silliness, this laughter, this moment shared and enjoyed. Children live moment-by-moment, sick children even more, parents of sick children even more so.
There is only the present. The Gift is in the Present. So what gift did you miss opening today? What gift did you jump over because your mind was frantically running amok with fear of the future? Or what gift did you jump over because you were stuck in the pain of the past?
I love this quote from Lao Tzu,
“If you are depressed, you are living in the past,
If you are anxious, you are living in the future,
If you are at peace, you are living in the present”.
I firmly believe the Gift is in the Present, right here, right now. The Present is life’s gift to us; more importantly, you are a gift to us when you are Present.
Love to hear your thoughts.
