"Man is timid and apologetic;
he is no longer upright;
he dares not say "I think," "I am,"
but quotes some saint or sage.
He is ashamed before the blade of grass
or the blowing rose.
These roses under my window
make no reference to former roses or to better ones;
they are for what they are;
they exist with God today.
There is no time for them.
There is simply the rose;
it is perfect in every moment of its existence.
Before a leaf-bud has burst,
its whole life acts;
in the full-blown flower there is no more;
in the leafless root, there is no less.
Its nature is satisfied,
and it satisfies nature,
in all moments alike.
But man postpones or remembers;
he does not live in the present,
but with reverted eye laments the past,
or, heedless of the riches that surround him,
stands on tiptoe to foresee the future.
He cannot be happy and strong
until he too lives with nature
in the present, above time."
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
[Classic post from 9-10-14]
Standing on tiptoes to foresee the future. . . my reverted eye laments the past, both often heedless of the riches that surround me. This would make me think that the present is not where I want to be because of whatever it is in the present that I do not want; however, being present has nothing whatsoever to do with that. It is more an acknowledgment that there is no such thing as the past or the future, and that all there ever is would be right now. All of our actions can only be done now. Our decisions can only be now. All of life is right now. To miss the awe of that moment is to not be present.
"Live In The Sunshine, Swim In The Sea, Drink The Wild Air." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
Spread Some Joy Today--as it is impossible not to do so when you are in joy.
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