Dreams are important! Any cat will tell you that anticipation is one of the Best Feelings Ever. Knowing you’re on the verge of something wonderful, something you’ve longed for – even if it’s Something Not Identified, but you can tell by the way life feels that it’s going to be rewarding and worth the wait – is so exciting that just thinking about it makes me purr!
There is something even more important than dreaming and anticipating the future, and that is learning to live in the present. While living in the present is an automatic feline behavior, it can be one of the most difficult life lessons for humans to put into practice. There are many reasons why this is so, but I have observed three that are the most common.
Humans worry about what may or may not happen. Don’t think cats never worry. We do! When a family member is ill or unhappy, we express our love and concern. When we’re stuffed into a carrier and placed in a vehicle (which usually drives us to the vet’s office), we are worried and scared! But our concern is centered on what is happening right now – not on possible scenarios projected onto tomorrow, or the next day, or into the weeks ahead. We can’t know what the future holds, and worry provides neither insight nor the ability to change what is to come. It simply destroys the gift of the moment.
A quote on Mom’s bulletin board reads, “If a problem isn’t worth praying about, it’s not worth worrying about.” This is great advice! The power of suggestion flees before the power of prayer. When we live in the present, we can enjoy the pleasures and deal with the pain that is taking place right here, right now. We can place our confidence in the God who does hold the future in His hands.
Humans focus on the future. Dreams are the ultimate escape. It is necessary to hope and dream and desire a better future. However, planning for the future depends upon living in the present. Writers turn dreams into novels. Students turn dreams into careers. Wanting without doing isn’t enough. Praying without working isn’t enough. Dreaming without planning isn’t enough. A desire can only become reality if we pull it out of the ethereal realm of dreamland and map it out as a goal. The planned work we do each day in the present will lead to the scheduled accomplishment of our dreams.
Humans focus on the past. This is the cousin of dreaming without doing. Reliving what has already taken place, and therefore what cannot be undone or redone, wastes the gift of the present. We can enjoy pleasant memories and learn from the all the rest, but regret gets us nowhere. We ask forgiveness of those we’ve wronged. We offer forgiveness to those who have wronged us. God forgives us, and we forgive ourselves. The past is behind us for a reason. When we walk forward while looking back, we miss precious moments that we never even see.
So much can happen when you look away. We are so easily distracted that we can take for granted what is most important: deliberately and consciously living each moment, each day, for all it’s worth. Everything we have is right here, right now, with our loved ones and our friends.
Don’t miss a single moment in your extra-ordinary world! Enjoy the Gift of Right Now!