Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence.

- Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

One of the greatest obstacles I have had to overcome on my journey has been my obsession with the past.  I have a decent “library” of memories stored away that I love to visit, but I have come to realize that too much attention on what already did happen keeps me from experiencing what is happening right now.

We gain nothing by focusing on the past and missing the present moment.  We fail to experience what is happening around us when we are immersed in memories of what no longer affects us.  (Let me clarify: Should no longer affect us.)  We can learn from the past, we can laugh about the past, but ultimately, we have to leave the past and return to the present moment.  Life is happening NOW.  Make sure you’re here to experience it. [Read more →]

A Buddhist monk once told me: “All I have learned in the twenty years that I have been a monk I can sum up in one sentence: All that arises passes away. This I know.” What he meant, of course, was this: I have learned to offer no resistance to what is; I have learned to allow the present moment to be and to accept the impermanent nature of all things and conditions. Thus I have found peace.”
-Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now

From time to time we may find ourselves thinking about “the good ol’ days” wishing we could return to the past, when everything was better. Of course, that usually isn’t actually the case since we have a tendency to gloss over anything we didn’t like, but that’s not the point of the above passage. Rather, the point is things never stay the same, and that should bring great comfort. It does not matter what it is, something always changes, be it the people, the place, or even simply our perceptions.

The sooner we realize this, that change is a ubiquitous reality that affects everything, the sooner we can come to terms with this moment. And that’s all that we ever really have, is this moment. Senior Year of high school, complete with football games to attend, freshmen to haze, and a general feeling of invincibility will never come back. (Some of you are thinking, “Thank God.”) That brand new car you bought will never look as good as it did on the lot and never smell as good, either. Embrace this.  Don’t spend time wishing for the good ol’ days to return, live them!

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