"Be Here Now"

An unbelievably amazing view from the 'burbs on New Year's morning. I'm gazing west at the Front Range and thinking, "What an amazing way to start a new year!" Reflectively, now that I'm not actually in that moment, but merely looking at a photo of what once was, I'm pondering the frontier of possibilities that lay before me.

It's fairly often, I'm not able to be right where I am with feet firmly planted to the earth below me. I'm always thinking ahead. Always imagining my future in the place where I originally came from. Both places are so different from each other. I haven't given this new place (which really isn't that new anymore) a chance.

I long for what was and neglect where I am right now. It's time for me to be present--really present, here and now. It doesn't mean that I don't love where I came from. And, eventually, I'm sure I'll go back to that beloved land. But I want to be open to all the moments of now. I want to feel the soil on my fingers; experience the open land and the caress of this forest; the generosity and acceptance of the beings who surround me; and be a part of the spirit of this inspiring, intellectual community.

I won't be an island anymore. It no longer serves a purpose. As for the past--it will always be inside me, creating who I evolve to be, never too far away and tenderly awaiting my return.