Living In The Now Novels & Stories

he asked. "I haven't thought about it and I don't want to. I don't want to end up so invested in the future and forget about the present. I will think about that when we get to that point. For now, all I want to do is live in the moment," I replied. *****

What a sweet revelation. I looked over at her and I was in awe. She woken up a part of me that had all but given up and knowing she was right. I made a decision right there that I was going to be the biggest damn lotus flower a girl could be! "You are right. Absolutly right. Things have changed. I am not there, I am here. I am in the now and I want to do better. Be better. And ya can't do that if you keep living in the past."

He rubbed at his temple, wincing as the dull throb at the base of his skull returned—stronger this time. He hated that pain. It was the only thing lately that reminded him he was still alive. Nathan stood, moving toward the window. The city glittered below—bright, noisy, full of life he couldn’t feel. Neon lights painted his reflection across the glass: tousled hair, tired eyes, perfection sculpted by fame but filled by exhaustion. He tapped his cigarette against the railing, watching the ashes scatter like snow. “Another night,” he murmured, “another stranger.” His phone buzzed on the table. A message from his manager:

What do you do, When the world is falling apart? Do you cry, Or just wait to die? Or would you live each day, Gratitude in your heart, Because you've a gift, It's called the present. Live in the now. A victim of war, 2019 Brian's POV

Sam pulls a face at our lack of enthusiasm, then carries on anyway, "Chilli," positioning me in the middle of the room, "let's begin with the awareness of the present moment, by being in the present moment, which means that we are aware and mindful of what is happening at this very moment and we are not distracted by pondering on the past or worrying about the future, but by centring ourselves in the here and now.

He ordered my while I obeyed. "Now relax. Forget the past. Forget the future. Just be here. Right now." I truly needed to be here and now and forget all the practical questions of how, where, and when that pressed on me in the back of my mind. I sighed, letting go—just for now. Just for today.

I wasn’t living to take them. And at this point, it didn’t change much. Taking it or not. “Plus that’s just all the what ifs. What if this, what if that” Dele continued. “You’re focused more on the what ifs that you’re missing what is. The present. Living in the present. And the present says we have an appointment with the adoption agency and that is a step forward if that is what you want”

“I’m trying not to think about anything that comes next.” I was actually panicking, but he didn't need to know that. “That’s what got us into this mess in the first place,” he muttered as I tossed him a shirt. “You’re so damn focused on the past and the future,” Finn stood, giving me one of few views I’d never tire of seeing. I was an attractive guy, but goddamn, Finn was a masterpiece, which meant, I may as well open my own personal museum considering I have the Goddess’ finest work right here in this very room. “That you don’t bother to live in the present.”

Where we have always lived. Where we will always live. In the ordinary days. Which are everything. Which have always been everything. Which will always be everything. That is what she built. That is what we hold. That is what we pass forward. Not a monument. Not a legacy. Not a conclusion. A practice. An ongoing practice. Of being present. Of receiving fully. Of choosing. Again. And again. And again. In the space. In the between. Where we live. The morning is coming. It is always coming. We will be here. End of Chapter Forty-Six.

*Or am I repeating old patterns because my wolf recognizes him despite everything that happened? "I can hear you overthinking from here," Jace murmured against my hair. "How about this: for today, we don't worry about the future or what-ifs. We just exist in the present. You're safe, I'm safe, we're together, and Amber is somewhere far away plotting her next move while we're here rebuilding what she tried to destroy." "That sounds dangerously close to complacency," I observed. "That sounds like self-care and trust-building," he corrected. "We can't spend our entire lives waiting for the next attack. At some point, we have to actually live instead of just surviving."