WISE WORDS
An elderly woman was asked about her life and she responded:
“Oh, I’ve had my moments, and if I had to do it all over again I’d have more of them, just one moment after another, instead of living so many moments ahead of each day.”
“As we march toward the next anticipated event, we seem not to see that the treasure that we seek lies not in where we are going, but in the simple nature of the very footsteps that we take. In our rush to find a better situation in time, we trample over the flower of beingness in every moment.” Tony Parsons
“Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself.”
Old, but wise words: Living in the future is a source of anxiety. Living in the past is a source of depression. Living in today is a gift — that’s why they call it the present.
Eckhart Tolle puts it like this:
“Do you treat this moment as if it were an obstacle to overcome? Do you feel you have a future moment to get to that is more important? There has never been a moment in you life that was not ‘now,’ nor will there ever be. The Now is as it is because it cannot be otherwise. When you say ‘yes’ to what is, you become aligned with the power and intelligence of Life itself. Only then can you become an agent for positive change in this world.”
“Worry does not empty tomorrow of its troubles; it empties today of its strength.”
Corrie Ten Boom
In recovery, we call worrying about tomorrow “future-tripping.”
One good thing about getting older — the older I get, the less future I have to trip about, lol.
Posted on November 20, 2014, in anxiety, depression, inspiration, present moment and tagged anxiety, depression, inspiration, present moment. Bookmark the permalink. 5 Comments.
addiction, recovery & life 
Love this. And even when we are in pain, as I am now, we should sit with it. Often we realize that it’s not only pain from recent events, but all the other pain we associate with it, ganging up on us together. Being present helps us sort out our pain rather than running from it.
Sometimes I don’t even know where my “pain” or “mood” is coming from, Jami. You are right, suffering can seem to “gang up” on us from present and past circumstances. I heard it once referred to as “ghost shadows of past karma.” I think it’s important to recognize our pain so that we can accept it and ultimately “let it go,” which is the end goal, I believe. I used to excel at “adding” to my suffering with further negative thinking. Thankfully, through practice and diligence, I’ve become much more proficient at simply “accepting” suffering when it arises, which takes much of the power out of it, and allows it to dissipate more quickly…. I love what Eckhart Tolle said to a member of his audience who complained that they have been meditating for 30 years and STILL didn’t feel at peace much of the time. Eckhart said: “Why don’t you try accepting whatever state you are in, and see where that takes you.” That statement has helped me immensely. I hope your current pain evaportates soon, my friend. 🙂
Thank you, Gary. I am big into vipassana meditation, and it has helped me TONS. And as you mentioned, sitting with whatever state you’re in, and accepting it, is how you will benefit when you’re not meditating. I think a lot of us tend to think we’re going to have some profound experience on the pillow, and then we get attached to that feeling (just like any other drug)! Meditation feels grueling sometimes in reality, and sometimes not – just like life. The point is, to me, that doing so trains our brains to not latch onto it -whether it be pain or joy. Thanks again for this wonderful collection of quotes!
Gary btw I don’t get notified of your comments within the wordpress app or with a star in my dashboard…you’re the only one where that happens. Just a heads up in case something is set strangely in your settings (could also be mine)! I do get an email notification, but I don’t always check that. Maybe this also happens with your other followers?
Hi Jami — thank you for your response. That’s awesome that you’re into vipassana meditation: (For anyone who might read this: “Vipassanā-meditation uses mindfulness of breathing, combined with the contemplation of impermanence, to gain insight into the true nature of this reality.”)
I have meditated extensively, particularly in my first several years of sobriety. The spiritual aspect of recovery interested me greatly and I began to explore so-called “eastern spirituality,” Buddhism, Hinduism, etc. It was all I was interested in for a number of years, which led me to people like Nisargadatta Maharaj (“I Am That”) and Eckhart Tolle (“The Power of Now”).
I needed something to aspire to, and to also help quell my anxiety, and meditation and exploration of ‘our True Nature’ provided me with those outlets. Over the years ‘meditation’ simply became more of a way of living than a ‘practice.’ I found that through devotion to ‘formal’ meditation, I eventually found myself sitting more calming in everyday settings, automatically ‘folding my hands’ as I do in meditation — all of which brought me more serenity even in my non-formal-meditative states (if that makes sense)….
All of which has served to help me ‘accept things as they are’ and to ‘surrender,’ or as you put it, “not latch onto” anything. As a Buddhist monk said, “The liberated mind no longer seeks resting places.” Also: “It doesn’t matter what we are grasping. When we grasp, we are losing our freedom.”
And thank you for the ‘heads up’ on my comments not showing up on your ‘dashboard,’ etc. Can you let me know it this one shows up there? I believe I’ve responded to most comments using my phone, and this one I’m sending from my computer. I want to see if that might be the difference. Thank you!
Enjoy your Sunday! 🙂
Gary