“Each of us lives only now, this brief instant. The rest has been lived already, or is impossible to see.”
― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
So many people spend their lives regretting or fondly remembering the past, or fearing or anticipating the future. This is because we confer reality on both the past and the future.
Yet if the past and future existed we should be able to be there now, to travel there, to exist there instead of here.
But we can't.
We can't because the past and future aren't real. The past no longer exists and the future has yet to exist. Where we exist, where everything is happening, is the present moment.
We can miss so much beauty and love by ignoring the reality of the moment in favor of living in the past or planning for the future.
This moment is literally all that matters. You could die in the next moment. Our memories of the past are often inaccurate. Both past and future exist only in our minds. But this present moment, this is reality. This second is the culmination of all of what's passed and where the future begins.
Momento mori, remember you will die. This should be our first thought every morning. It isn't morbid, it's a fact. A fact that will motivate us to enjoy every second of the day. We will all die, and most of us have no idea when. So don't postpone those things that bring you or others joy. Don't waste a second in anger or hate. Don't lose the chance to tell loved ones how you feel about them, to thank a friend for being there, your child for the love and happiness they've brought into your life.
Live, laugh, and love in this moment.
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