Be of present mind...
So I’m in a maxi-cab or whatever they are called. It’s after work, it’s getting dark. I have decided to take this time to write and offload. Its uncanny how when I didn’t drive I would have given a limb (as long as it didn’t hamper me from driving in the future) to be in traffic, in my own car, rocking my favourite tunes – driving home. Now that that is possible I take it for granted. I now want a better car, I now want to work from home, I’m aspiring for to sit at the back of my Rolls Royce with the newspaper and have a white blonde good-looking man drive me around, to afford never to be stuck in traffic. Be aware that I’m not where I thought I would be, there’s still a great distance between where I am and where I had planned to be. There is still a lot to be done, more to be said and to be observed.
With all this said, I acknowledge that in my head I’m living in the future. I dwell on how I hope things will be and merely visit what they actually and realistically are. I can hear you say – there’s nothing wrong with dreaming, aspirations can never be sins. True, yet there is a definite magic in ‘being present’ or rather ‘being of present mind’. I find that I’m missing the splendour of what now carries by being pre-occupied and restless about what the future might hold.
I liken it to walking on plush green grass, with budding, fragrant and stunning roses on either side but never noticing it because you are staring so far into the horizon, focusing so much on where you are going that you forget to really feel the comfort of the grass on your feet, you don’t notice the colours and beauty of the roses, you don’t hear the singing of the birds of the present but in your ears rings the orchestra of the future. Suddenly, you trip on a rock that was right in front of you – that you failed to see. Now you are forced to stare blankly at the very grass that was in front of you, the very same green that carries you to your beautiful orchestra, that delivers you to your supposedly bright future. Yes, my dear friend, it’s the very same earth that cushioned your fall. That grass is the now. That lawn is the present.
Now we’ve all heard the old sayings – ‘save for a rainy day’ and ‘the best days of your life are ahead of you and not behind you’. How about we say :enjoy the fruit of your sweat, tears and hard-earned education whilst you still have the teeth to look in the mirror and smile at your achievements. How about we say: the best days of your life are right now but you too busy zooming in on the mistakes of your past and putting undue spotlight on the prospects. More simply put: BE OF PRESENT MIND.
As you read this, you have internet access, probably have two cell-phones, an above average roof-over your head, a degree or two, a cupboard full of designer clothes and a mode of transport to you to convey you from one hot spot to another. Eintlik, you can easily be referred to as John Blaze (or Jo-Anne Blaze for political correctness). Take stock of the now, the tomorrow isn’t cast in iron, yesterday might as well be a drop in the sea. Now is what you know, it’s what you are, it’s what you have become, its guaranteed for it IS happening. BE OF PRESENT MIND.
Being of present mind is about applying your mind, your being, your heart, your actions and all the components that sum up your being to what the universe had landed in your lap right now. I’m of the opinion that if you do this, then your tomorrow will be just as you expect and maybe even more. Pay attention, notice the colours, smells, auras, textures, the timing, the feelings, the posture, the temperament and other elements of your environment that allow you to be more receptive. Acknowledge the people around you now, pay attention to who they are, what they prefer and what currency they trade in, what they say – even what they don’t articulate. Do not have a conversation with someone whilst your mind is on your next appointment. Cherish the partner you have now and stop fantasizing about the phantom you’ve created in your mind for your pseudo existence in ten years time. Does that not allow for better relations, which will inevitably lead to prosperous dealings? Love what has been granted to you now - BE OF PRESENT HEART.
We often pray for this, that or the other but then we move on to the next request without being still and paying attention to the what type of answer God sends our way. We wait for lightning bolts from the heavens. Whilst the solution to our anguish is right in front of our wondering eyes. It could be the cleaner you refuse to have a conversation with in the lift ( he’s just not your type girl, he isn’t in the same LSM level) or a piece of paper you come across but never read as it’s not written in Sussex or UCT language, (neither is it presented in glittering sexy font) that may contain or offer the information we need to carry us to another glory. Be spiritually aware to hear from God, in order to do this you need to pay attention. In a nutshell – BE OF PRESENT MIND.
You’re loved
M.M
