Living In The Now Novels & Stories

“What do you think it means now?” “That you don’t treat living like preparation anymore,” he said. “You treat it like participation.” She smiled softly. “Yes. That.” The room grew quiet. The city hummed. Tomorrow waited but without demand. Lena closed her eyes, feeling the steady rhythm of breath and heartbeat, aware of how much she no longer needed to chase. The ordinary held everything. And for the first time in her life, she wasn’t trying to turn it into something else.

And I breathed. Not the organized way — not the four counts, not the deliberate structure. The actual way. The way a person breathed when breathing required no direction because the room was sufficient and the company was sufficient and the present moment was, despite everything it contained, despite the weight of it and the loss in it and the distance between the beginning and this — The present moment was real. I was in it. Not adjacent to it. Not managing it from outside. Not holding it at the safe distance where it could be examined rather than experienced.

"Yes, of course, baby." As I climbed up the stairs and entered my room, I closed and locked the door behind me. Forcing myself into a calm state, I sat in the bed. The pictures taped to the walls felt like a constant reminder of the drastic change I had undergone. I was smiling in every one of them and what hurt was that it was genuine. All of that happiness was burned away by my fear. Then I thought. What was the use of living if I wasn't happy? Was life even worth it? What was the point of existing if I couldn't ever enjoy the moment? I sighed. It didn't matter anymore anyway. Life was meant to be lived. There was nothing more you could do than live in the present and hope it brought you g

He turned to me again, drinking from a bottle as he took in my sprawled form on the floor. "That's the only way a person can be defeated -not staying out of your head. Not being in the now, here. My business is a dangerous one and if you're going to be off daydreaming, you shouldn't have joined." He gave me one last look and bent to pass through the lower rung of the ring. "Maybe you should be focusing your energy on what you truly are and not what you currently are. Or both, even. When you're at peace with yourself, it creates a balance within you, and then you're always attuned to the world around you. If there's something coming at you, you notice it and you squash it before it even gets

The secret is to never give up! The present is that moment in which you live permanently, it is this awareness of being alive, it is this need to dream. The present is that moment when you keep thinking about the past and imagining your future. The present is thus the only time that matters, the only time where you can take an action, make a difference with an attitude. The present is also the only time that should occupy your mind.

I stomp and grunt annoyed by this man's stupid habit of dragging things for the sake of suspense. "Which means you have to practice at the next level." "Okay. How do we do that?" I rub my hands and grin. "Woah, woah. Easy there, love. It's not exactly a technique. It's more into concentrating on what you see. You have to live in the present moment and practice doing so for this to work." Tristian says. "Yeah so? Live in the present. Got it!" He chuckles. "Which means you cannot erode with any other thoughts. You have to push all your senses and focus them on what's happening right now."

he said. “Oh, that’s a no zone for me. I feel exhausted just thinking of it,” she said. Billie shrugged his shoulders. “Well then, let's just enjoy this ambiance,” he said. “That’s right! Let’s enjoy the present. This place is comforting,” she said. The comforting afternoon present lingers up to evening. “I didn’t realize how much of this happiness is available if only I focused on what I have in the present,” she said. “This is already happiness for you?” he asked.

- I live one day at a time. And that's okay, isn't it? I can have Aaron. I can almost say that I like being with him. I can talk to Gabe in the morning, go to college in the afternoon. I can lie on a soft bed and dream of your tongue. I don't want to think about the future now. I don't want to think about when I should act. I…I don't want to have to plan desperately.

he throws me a blank look and surges out of the room. "No past. No future. Only now!" I repeat the rule, not knowing if I'll be able to follow it when I have been breaking all the rules all my life.

I snuffled as I held his collar and beseeched him while he stared at me with guilt in his eyes. "I'm sorry for making you cry every time, Mia, but I'm not sure how long we'll be able to live together because Katrina is behind but-" I cut his words. "Jonathan, instead of wasting time thinking, let’s make this time memorable. If we only have one day together, I want it to be the best. Life is all about living in the present moment. Stop worrying about the future since it is uncertain. Now that we're together, think about how we might make this moment special and memorable. Don't waste your time thinking about the future." I explained to him, taking his hand in mine.