Now

It has been an exceedingly productive day. No major accomplishments like the end-of-semester frenzy just completed, just odds and ends, smallish errands and an afternoon of me-time reading and enjoying a beautiful and quiet afternoon on the veranda at my local Peete’s Coffee house. Very nice, very calm and very peaceful - I almost feel guilty, but not quite. I earned it – although it was an arduous semester, it was well worth the effort. I have four more ahead of me and there is every reason to expect more of the same, but right now it is time to relax.

I am good at relaxing, perhaps too good. But there is a difference between taking time from other priorities and honoring it as a top priority. It is so much more satisfying… and relaxing. True, there are always tasks on the “to do” list, but at the moment there is nothing more pressing than this. And this is good. It isn’t often, or at least it has not been recently, that I can really kick my shoes off (they are, as I write) and put my feet up with the clarity of knowing that my time, this time, is not being wasted.

Although I have the better part of a month off, there are still those not yet prioritized things that should be done – sometime. There are dates on my calendar that are committed and there are places to go and people to see, and many are not exactly what one would call chores. In all likelihood, there will be many more moments like this one in the coming days, but to dwell on upcoming events or tasks – even if it is a planned hiatus such as the one I am enjoying right now – is to take away from this one.

There has never been nor will there ever be any other time than now. Learning how to live in the now has not always been so easy – or rewarding. It is a fine line between living in the moment and disregarding dreams and goals, or lessons gained through hindsight. It seems to be only when all is in order, when the moments past have been duly dispatched and the course for the future is set that the now is as pleasant as it is. And it is, right now.