The world has changed dramatically for everyone with the arrival of the coronavirus. It is amazing how broadly and deeply as well as how quickly the change has unfolded in such a short time.
Clearly, the virus has created immense challenges, changes and loss. These are real and not to be minimized. However, we can also look at what this time is offering. What can we learn? How can we grow? One interesting, recent growth opportunity for me is how profoundly I am being pulled (ok, slammed) into the present.
Whoa, it is like the rugs of the past and the future have been simultaneously pulled out from under us.
What about the past?
The past is gone. What was is no longer. That is clear. Yes, we will move forward through this experience and create anew. However, we cannot go back to what used to be. We can’t go back to a time that didn’t include COVID-19. I have had some grief around that. Maybe you have experienced grief as well. It may take some time to process emotionally, however the past is no more.
And, actually, hasn’t that always been the case with or without the virus? We can’t ever go back in time, although it is surprising how much of our attention, our focus, can stay rooted in our history. We hold grudges or anger about how we were treated. We hold remorse or regret for things that happened or didn’t happen. We judge others and ourselves as we rehash events from the past over and over and over again.
What about the future?
What about the future? Well, in this new reality, your guess is as good as mine! None of us can see what will unfold. Clearly, the rug has been pulled out from under our futures too.
Again, virus or no virus, the future is, and always has been, unknowable. Yet, isn’t it amazing how much of our focus, our attention, and our energy we can put out ahead of us in time? We make plans, tell ourselves what our lives will look like, and often raise the expectation that we will be happier in the future.
We are very capable beings. Our attention can scatter along time. We can get stuck in the past and in the future. When, in truth, the only moment that is real is the one that is happening right now.
Be present in the now
We can choose to remember to be present. We can consciously collect our focus into what is unfolding in each moment of time. And, when we engage with the present moment, we have the opportunity to have a different experience with ourselves and with life.
As Ekhart Tolle said, “All you really need to do is accept this moment fully. You are then at ease in the here and now and at ease with yourself.”
Your life is in the now. Your power is in the now.
Claim it for yourself!
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