In the Now

I just read an interesting book this past week by Kurt Koontz, who wrote about his journey on the Camino de Santiago called A Million Steps. He wrote about the people he met, where he stayed, the sights he saw as he walked nearly 500 miles on his pilgrimage across Spain. He inspired me in his trek and made me want to try something like that. His greatest message, though, was one of the lessons he learned during his walk. He found so many things in life are worries and thoughts about the future--or the past. He learned on this long walk to live in the now.

I've been thinking a lot about that idea. We like to plan and think about tomorrow while right now, things are going on we should pay attention to.

Yesterday, as I walked my first mile since my accident, I enjoyed the sights and sounds in my neighborhood. I reveled in the deep blue sky, the bright orange tropical-like plants with their nearly black leaves, the warm feeling of my hand in Jim's hand. I enjoyed the now.

Right now, I'm enjoying my first cup of coffee in the now.  Does that mean we shouldn't plan and think about what we'll do tomorrow? No, but I think sometimes we focus too much on what's ahead instead of what's going on today, right now.

So today, while I'm with four of my sixteen grandchildren, I'll enjoy them and not think about what I've got to do tomorrow or the next day, or the next day. I'm in the now.

Enjoy your weekend, but also enjoy your now.

Photos from another walk on another now.