Am I living in the now?

Ekhart Tolle says "When you are present in this moment, you break the continuity of your story, of past and future..." and this concept takes some getting round.

I was so used to measuring the sum of my time by what happened and what was about to happen. My shuddering halt came one year when I realized I'd gone clear past Christmas and I hadn't even enjoyed it, because I was in the think of selling for the April issue. It was horrific.

It was always so easy to look back and sigh "those were the good old days," but I'm sure I wasn't really present in the good old days - I've just tinted them with the rosy glasses of time.

Today I'm working very hard on a daily basis to live in the NOW. Right where my feet are. When I'm doing it right, it's an absolutely mesmerizing feeling of contentment, a peace and tranquility that is second to nothing. Even in the painful moments.

Living now involves every single one of my senses to the maximum and inhaling everything that's around me. The sounds, the sights, the scents, the flavours and feel of things. Suddenly I realize that the air can feel like cool silk and it can billow accross my arms and legs. The cool green grass I'm walking on barefoot is a little damp as I squish the blades with my weight - yet I look back and there are not tracks and the grass seems unharmed. I have green soles!

I like now, I just don't practice it often enough because it seems there's always something pressing in the imminent future, like I must get off this task to finish another. Or I need to call someone, or how am I going to pay the mortage next month.

But now, right now this minute, this second I'm loving the feel of the keyboard under my fingers, watching the little black letters arranging themselves accross the screen, transfering my thoughts onto paper. Because, after all, thoughts become things now.

There. That felt good.