Remember I am here

Most of my life I’ve been a visitor in an imaginary land, rather than a resident of the world I live in. All day, I leave the present, and travel in my mind to the past or future.

The past is an enormous rose bush. Throughout the day, in the corner of my mind, I may see a beautiful rose. I’m always tempted to turn my attention to this rose, and try to grab it. But the bush is tangled, so with both hands I try to untangle it and then I find I am covered in blood.

The future is the open sky. The clouds float through, each of them a possibility of what is to come. I spend a lot of time trying to move clouds with my hands. Frantically trying to change them. But no matter how hard I try, they move all on their own.

Remembering where I am means to leave the rose bush of the past and the clouds of the future to themselves, and experience the exact moment that is happening. It’s comforting to realize that it’s not hard to be in the present moment. It’s impossible not to be. I am in the present moment, whether I like it or not. I just have to remember that I’m here.