Yesterday and all the yesterdays of the past are untouchable and unchangeable. We can not unscramble eggs.
Tomorrow and all the tomorrows of the future are unknowable and unpromised. We can only guess how thrown dice will land.
At least for now, all we have real access to is the present. This moment. This activity. This focus. This body. These people. This day.
Each of us only has so much capacity (or bandwidth, or focus, or energy – whatever we’d like to call it) to create and enjoy life.
Imagine that we carry that capacity in a bucket each day. Some days, our capacity buckets are bigger because we’ve gotten more sleep, we’ve been eating well and exercising, etc. And, some days, our capacity buckets are smaller because we’re experiencing a season of life that is more depleting than renewing.
But each day we wake with a capacity bucket of some size and we can put only 3 types of items in it – yesterday’s items, tomorrow’s items, and this moment’s items.
If we pour into our capacity bucket the unchangeable items from our past, we take up needed space to focus on this day’s opportunities. And, the more regretful we are about those items, the heavier they are for us to carry today.
Likewise, if we pour into our capacity bucket the unknowable items from our future, we take up even more space needed to create and enjoy life today. And, the more anxious we are about those items, the heavier they are for us to carry today.
“How can I be more present in this moment?” is a great question to consistently ask ourselves.
Because, if we aren’t conscious about right now, our pasts and futures can take up far too much space and add far too much weight to today’s capacity bucket.
Great message, Jason. Thank you for these inspiring and wise words.
You are welcome – and thanks, always, for reading Christine!
This might be your best blog post to date. Thank you!
Thank you Christine – I hope all is well in your world! All the best.