We all hold on to the past, those people and memories that served us in some way. Maybe they brought joy to our lives, or gave us hope for our future, maybe they distracted us from doing something we really didn’t want to do. But, ask yourself “Are the choices I make today because I am still holding on to yesterday?” Holding on to the past can be a wonderful way to cherish those memories and people dear to your heart if it doesn’t prevent you from being present to today.
Sometimes we fear forgetting the memory of the voice, the touch, the smell, someone’s eyes who you will never look into again. “What if I forget what color their eyes are?” “What if one day I can no longer hear their voice in my mind as if they are still sitting beside me?”
If we curse the past, and we fear the future, then are we really “living” as we go through each day? If we hold on to the past so tight that we can’t fully enjoy today, then are we really “living?” If we fear “loss” so much that we are never open to receive, then are we really “living?” Life is laughter and pain, anger and happiness, fear and elation, love and loss. It is all of these together that contribute to living a life of presence, and without all of it, we are simply not living.
To live fully we must feel the sensations, allow the emotions, and listen to those thoughts. Its okay to tuck people, memories, and even years, away in the corners of our hearts and minds, and allow ourselves to settle into the present moment, because you know life is so very short. Some years gone by I breath a sigh of relief. Yet, other years gone I want desperately to go back and hold on to, only because I know I can’t go back.
Embrace your emotions… all of them, and fill your heart with gratitude as you do. For without pain you would never know what joy feels like. Maybe the negative emotions, the painful emotions, and all the emotions that we think we should avoid feeling are simply reference points to show us what we really love. Pain often has a purpose if we can be present with it. Often it is here to touch our hearts and wake us to what really matters in us.
What are you holding tightly to?
What emotion are you avoiding right now?
Can you stop and be be present with it for a moment?
What is it telling you?
What is it really telling you?
Stay present with it if you can. It has a message for you.
