My main mantra throughout my life goes as follows: “Make the most of each moment.” At a very early age I realized how quickly time went by and that as it goes by, it does not return ever again. So each moment happens only once. So I should try to make the most of each moment.
This has mantra has served me well in that I have been engaged with my life in the present moments trying to do worthwhile things rather than wasteful things. This mantra has also helped me get through times when both the future and past look bad.
The near past can be full of conflict, sorrow, and loss while at the same time our future can look bleak and nearly hopeless. “Nearly” is the operative word because no one knows the future although we help create it in the present. Without hope, there is no future. So this leads me back to the present and making the most of each moment.
If we find ourselves in a position where our future is uncertain and bleak, likely a continuation of the near past that also was filled with loss and sorrow, we still have the present and precious moments to make the most of.
The present is a present and springs into being all on its own filled with possibility and beauty. Ever-changing, the present is rooted in the rhythm of the earth. Earth’s changes are what sustains life after all. Nature is balanced, but it is never static.
My advice when squeezed between the uncertain future and the certainly loathsome past is to connect with (or reconnect with) nature and the life force that animates and sustains us. All life pulses with the seed of germination and growth. Life thrives even in the dark—and darkness is needed for life, regardless. Plant something or metaphorically plant your desire and will. While it may be something that will lay in the dark underground in the present, it represents making something out of nothing and thus creating meaning and purpose in our lives.
Let the earth restore your hope. Try to align to the truth and beauty within you and that which is there in the moment. Be ready for action, prepare, hope, and make the most of these moments. Do not let that sorrow-filled past and that uncertain and wobblily future ruin your day! Sometimes it is up to us to step forward and create something from nothing, so to speak, and thus connect more closely with the deep cosmic creative force itself. And that is never a bad thing! Remember, the Universe loves us and wants us here for its own divine purpose even if we have these times when we are unsure of what that purpose may be.
