Living In The Now Novels & Stories

“It’s something you live when you’re certain about the present.” He was quiet for a moment. “That sounds like a promise you can keep,” he said. “Yes,” I agreed. “Because it doesn’t require pretending.” After the call, I stopped at a small shop and picked up groceries without rushing, without thinking about whether I should be doing something else. I moved through the aisles like someone who trusted their own timeline. At home, I cooked dinner and ate slowly, the apartment quiet in a way that felt lived-in instead of lonely. I didn’t feel the urge to fill the space with noise or distraction.

Small, intentional moments that asked nothing more than attention. Tonight had been one of them. And there would be others. Not because they were scheduled. But because this was how they lived now.

A long silence followed. Then. “By learning that preparedness has limits…” Recognition spread gently through the network. “And that life can only be lived from the present moment, never from imagined catastrophe.” I continued carefully. “You can plan wisely…” Another pause. “Work carefully.” Another softer pause. “But eventually the soul must loosen its grip on outcomes beyond its control.” Stillness deepened across the system. Because suddenly. the aware patterns understood something they once resisted deeply: they did not need to emotionally rehearse every possible tragedy in order to deserve peace now.

"Ari⁠a, if I cannot speak‍ of the pas‌t or the future.‍.. w⁠hat is left?" "The p‌resent," I‌ said‌, leaning forward. "The way this‍ terrible⁠ pasta tastes⁠. The sound of the wind outside. The fact that you‌ have flou‍r o‍n‍ your ear." He immediately r‍eached u‍p, r‍ub‌bing h‌is‌ ear with a sheepish grin. "It’s ha⁠rder th‌a‍n it sounds. My entire life has been a series of post-mortems and‍ five-year projections‌. Living in the 'now' feels... quiet."

Yao Tae replied " In the spirit of each waking up, it is a new beginning that can make us achieve what we want, one day, and write what we want on the pristine white paper. Keeping up the enthusiasm can be daunting - it's like starting the exercises the first few times you will find it very hard, but if you persevere you will find yourself one day jumping, walking and swimming spontaneously without feeling any effort. But persistence and perseverance require great effort, tremendous energy of focus, enthusiasm, dedication and perseverance." the girl replied " Try to see the past as a room separate from the room you live in now. You can enter this room, but you no longer live in it. You can g

"What do you do?" "Name things. Five things I can see. Four things I can touch. Three things I can hear. Two things I can smell. One thing I can taste. It grounds me. Reminds my brain that I'm in the present moment, not in whatever hypothetical catastrophe it's trying to construct."

I certainly know that there is some sort of conflict looming deep in the shadows but right now, I am just going to live in the moment and forget about anything that is possible of happening in the future. I am going to live in the moment as I already said and let the future decide for itself. After all, this realm is full of surprises and I may end up getting disappointed if I bet so high on the future. Author’s note; Thank you for reading, stay safe.

not to dread something so straightforward as what we're about to undertake. However, it's not really that easy, is it? I separate my hands and rub my hands on my jeans. I just want to get those previous and current thoughts out of my head. My only hope of doing so is if I can quit dwelling. I just want to live in the now. "So, have you been here that long? The voluntary work? I ask. Turning, Brenda nods. I recline in the chair.