Have you ever read the words of another and had then really, really resonate with you? I have and recently. Lao Tzu wrote the words:
If you are depressed,
you are living in the past.
If you are anxious,
you are living in the future.
If you are at peace,
you are living in the present.
If I don't feel at peace during the day, I question whether my mind is too centered in the past or on the future. I find once or twice a day, I start to time travel. I may jump to 2025 when my grandchildren will be in their teens and 20's. I start to worry/think about their future including but not limited to whether they will be able to pay back their student loans, travel to Europe or marry well. Sometime I jump back to 2012 and question whether I did enough to make the last months and years of my mother's life pleasant. Sharing this with you makes me laugh at myself. Who in the world would spend two minutes worrying about whether a 4 year-old is going to marry well when she has yet mastered the art of combing her own hair? Or why would I be concerned about my grandsons traveling through Europe when they can't even keep up with their school backpack? Remember the old Stephen Covey adage, First Things First...Okay; let's get everyone out of grade school, then we will think about student loans, backpacking and marriage.
The very act of going through that mental exercise is calming. I intentionally come back to 2013 where life is good. Everyone is healthy, we have a roof over our head, we have enough to eat and we have family and friends who love us. I find the key to happiness is to remain in the here and now. Right now life is good so as my mother used to say, "Why borrow trouble?" But that brings me back to the beginning. What has someone else said that really made a difference in how you think or act? What is your favorite life-affirming quote? I would love to know.
Hugs,
C