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Today's
quotation:
What we are talking about is learning to
live in the present
moment, in the now. When you
aren't distracted by your own
negative thinking, when you
don't allow yourself to get lost in
moments that are gone
or yet to come, you are left with this
moment. This moment--
now--truly is the only moment you have.
It
is beautiful and special. Life is simply a series
of such
moments to be experienced one right after another.
If you attend
to the moment you are in and stay
connected to your soul and
remain happy, you will find
that your heart
is filled with positive feelings.
Sydney Banks
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Today's
Meditation:
Right
now. It's the only moment in the history of the
world over which we have any sort of control over our
thoughts, actions, or feelings. We can't control
what happened even thirty seconds ago, and we can't
control what's going to happen in ten minutes, but right
now we can make decisions that will help to determine what
our future's like, and that may make amends for past
mistakes or build on past successes and achievements.
A
few seconds ago, you decided to read this passage.
You read the quotation above, probably, and then
started on this passage. Now you're deciding whether
to continue or not. Each moment of our life is like
this: we decide to initiate or continue actions--or
inaction--based on what we think is best for ourselves and
others. We may get so caught up in what we're doing
that we don't even notice the wonder of this moment--the
sounds, the sights, the feelings--and that's a
shame. This moment doesn't consist just of what
we're doing; it also consist of what we're being,
and how we're being it.
"If
you attend to the moment you're in. . ." These
are powerful words, and that attention is something that
takes practice. This moment is now, and it never
shall come again. Feel it, live it, breathe it, and
let it be a great contributor to who you are.
Sometimes you may lose the moment due to certain tasks
that occupy us for extended periods of time, but even then
we can be attentive to the task, to its contribution to
our lives and who we are, and to the fact that we're
involved in something that probably will serve other
people in necessary ways.
Some
of my greatest moments have been those when I've stopped
doing whatever I was doing just to be. I stand in
silence and listen. I look at everything around me,
no matter where I am, and consider how it's a part of who
I am. I feel whatever's closest to me. I
listen to my breathing. And all this helps to remind
me that there's much more to life than what I'm doing at
the moment, and much more to me than just the person who's
involved in the task.
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