For Enallaktiki Drasi

We are often carried away by the thought that life is long. We believe tomorrow will be better, our next job more fulfilling, or a future partner the missing piece that will make us happy. A weekend in the countryside seems more satisfying than where we are now. Everything appears more exciting in the future.

If a divine voice told us that we would be able to enjoy our senses for only a few more hours, we would surely seize the opportunity. We would drink in every color, every one of nature’s countless gifts, every smile and every beloved face.

We would make sure to enjoy every sound:

every note, the sound of wind moving through leaves or waves reaching a beach, and every laugh echoing through the room.

We would eat slowly to discover every flavor. We would touch everything with awareness and respect, and appreciate every scent carried by the air we breathe. If someone told us we would no longer be able to walk or move, we would seize the opportunity to embrace, dance, swim, make love, or do anything else our heart desired.

What sabotages this ability is the illusion that our time is unlimited, that it is fine to leave something for later or for next year, when things will supposedly be better.

Things are in their best possible form THIS moment, because it is the only moment we have with certainty. Every other moment belongs to the future, and when that future arrives, it will once again be the present.

So why not give ourselves the opportunity to learn how to enjoy, appreciate and feel grateful for everything and everyone present in our lives right now? Through this way of living, through love and respect for our NOW, we will also be able to appreciate every blessed moment that follows.