I love this. The way you describe it, Now isn’t just a place—it’s a portal. And most of us are out here sprinting toward imaginary futures like there’s a prize for being the most spiritually dehydrated. Thank you for reminding us that the real treasure is buried right under our butt in the car seat. Presence is underrated. Delusion is just louder.
Thanks, Aleksander. Since writing this note, I’ve been thinking about this idea of projecting a past or future. When we do it, we always see it as at some sort of physical distance from us, because the mind can’t actually comprehend a real future or past, which would be right here where we are. When I close my eyes and try to think about the future, I can actually feel myself looking at something far away, as I would look down a long flat road that disappeared in the distance.
Thoughts like this help me to understand that now is the only reality. And it is always now.
Snails, if they had watches on wrists that they don’t have either, would mark the time as inches travelled. We mark time in years or seconds, yet however far we’ve come, if you take a moment to think about it, we always seem to be here, now.
Don, another really beautiful post. "Be here now." Yes. I found myself increasingly agitated and stressed during the entire month of May, for many reasons beyond my control (lots of end of the school year kid stuff), which led me to feeling out of myself. Out of here. Out of now.
So a few days ago when I was interviewed on a podcast, the host asked me what I would like to conclude with for midlife moms who are part of this "sandwich" generation of raising young kids while also caring for aging parents. I said this: "Show up today with a good heart, and respond to the moment you find yourself in."
The latter part of my message was centered around something I remember when I find that I'm slipping into worry or fear. I just look around me and ask, "What is this moment telling me?" Sometimes it's nothing. Sometimes it's to appreciate, to receive. And sometimes it inspires me to act. But to me, being here now is about receptivity and openness--allowing myself to simply be, without agenda or plans. Just to be. What a lovely way to live!
Nice, Jeannie, thanks for your comment. Yes, sometimes when I find myself asking what this moment has to tell me or teach me, I realize that I'm still looking for "other." I'm still trying to have control. So I let go of all that, and like you say, sometimes the moment is just about nothing, about the moment, but being intentionally in that state always leaves me feeling better afterward. 🙏💚
That’s so beautiful, Don. What a refreshing way to live in a society obsessed with productivity and doing! Did I tell you that I’m working on a project about the gift of waiting and being in liminal spaces between past and future (so, the present) and of moving from fear to hope and landing at that place in between the two (again, about the present). It’s largely about receptivity as an antidote to the “contributing member of society” mindset. Maybe we can talk about that and your book project next time we chat! :)
Sounds good, Jeannie. In regards to the "contributing member of society" comment, I've had some thoughts recently too, about how some activists place blame on anyone who they feel isn't doing enough by making statements like "If you're silent, you're complicit," or "If you're not angry, you're not paying attention." I feel that living with peace and compassion is the most powerful act one can make.
I do participate in the protest rallies near me but I just don't think it's right to tell people they're not doing enough, making them feel insecure and less than even if they're the best role model for what a harmonious violence-free life would look like.
Don, I love everything about this! Yes! I just finished reading a book called Born to Receive by Amanda Owen and she says that peacefully protesting or writing letters to effect change, etc are called "quiet power." She says this is a form of receptivity, and it's something I feel strongly drawn to, especially since nonviolence is very important to me.
Sitting in a corporate office, I imagine that if only I were overlooking beautiful Barnstable Harbor, I would have no trouble Being Here Now. Thanks for reminding me that isn't necessarily true!
Ha, yeah, a little harder to deal with “I wish I were somewhere else” when you’re at the office. Perhaps a little tone deaf on my part. 😔
Your comment reminds me of how fortunate I am!
But then I’ve put in like a million hours at jobs I didn’t like. I chose to work outside though, because at least I had the fresh air and the birds singing. I commend your stamina! 🙏💚
This moment is where we truly touch the intimacy of compassion and love. This moment is where we can meet ourselves with those forces. Thanks for sharing, Don💚💜
I agree. Several years ago I discovered that "Be Here Now" is for me the antidote to my monkey mind. So I had it tattooed on my forearm, for quick reminders. ;)
Eckhart Tolle refers to this as The Joy of Being. I love how these words sound. Who wouldn't want to be this? When we pause to notice anything with our full awareness, we rise above our thoughts and become what we are experiencing. It would seem odd, but even being in full presence with something we perceive as negative feels much better than the thing in itself. It is the act of awareness, our complete awareness - being here now - that leads us into this beautiful state of the Joy of Being. The best kind of JOB., no? With awareness we become Joy. Thanks for sharing Don. Going to do some of this being here now stuff right now. xo
This is such a beautiful, calming essay! I love this line: "It was only my storytelling mind that had me believing that my life was unsatisfactory." It's true: the stories we tell ourselves have us erroneously convinced that they are reality.
For me, creating art is a type of meditation. Everything becomes flow as I continue to create. Thank you for this insightful essay!
After parties in highschool my friends and I would spend a few hours “decompressing” in the parking lot of Sesuit harbor. These descriptions feel on point.
Oh, yeah? I know the place. When I first arrived on Cape Cod in 2006, I was working on a large eco-tour boat in that boatyard. In was my barter for a temporary place to live (the owner lived in Eastham and gave me a room).
Some teenagers got into trouble in that harbor recently, crashed a boat and one of them was killed.
Don, your writing always brings me to a place of presence. I’ve been going through some darker days lately and the only thing saving me is when I take time to just be, to forget doing and just be. Amazing what we discover when we just sit with no intention but just sit. Thanks for this, Don.
Thank you so much, Steve, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry you've had some dark days—understandably. I imagine it takes years to process all the grief and other feelings and transitions of a loss such as you've experienced. Let alone the rest of life's challenges, which don't stop for a minute! My heart is with you, Steve. ❤️
I acutally read a whole newsletter without moving, switching tabs... thank you for a few minutes of stillness. yes, you're right, life as it is - is just fine. the feeling of always trying to get somewhere is no way to live is it.
My approach is to use exactly as many words as it takes to say what I want to say and not a word more. Sometimes that means a 600-word post and sometimes it means 2000. It certainly means not rambling or going off subject. It means re-reading again and again to make sure no word is superfluous, no sentiment unnecessary, no thought left in unless it forwards my main theme.
Hey, Jessica, I’m sorry if this note sounded a little pedantic. I should have said, I hear you, I always get a little concerned when my essays get long, too, and try to keep them as short as I can. 💚
Not at all. I need to learn restraint. I enjoyed reading it. I’m far too self indulgent. Working on my memoir with literary consultant who was my tutor at uni when I did Masters in creative writing . He wants me to cut my book by half. It’s currently 138 thousand words ! It’s my third draft and really need to learn how to make a narrative. I’m really not good with structure . I certain I’m living with complex ptsd which doesn’t help. I appreciate you’re honesty don’t apologise
I love this. The way you describe it, Now isn’t just a place—it’s a portal. And most of us are out here sprinting toward imaginary futures like there’s a prize for being the most spiritually dehydrated. Thank you for reminding us that the real treasure is buried right under our butt in the car seat. Presence is underrated. Delusion is just louder.
Thanks, Aleksander. Since writing this note, I’ve been thinking about this idea of projecting a past or future. When we do it, we always see it as at some sort of physical distance from us, because the mind can’t actually comprehend a real future or past, which would be right here where we are. When I close my eyes and try to think about the future, I can actually feel myself looking at something far away, as I would look down a long flat road that disappeared in the distance.
Thoughts like this help me to understand that now is the only reality. And it is always now.
Snails, if they had watches on wrists that they don’t have either, would mark the time as inches travelled. We mark time in years or seconds, yet however far we’ve come, if you take a moment to think about it, we always seem to be here, now.
It’s fascinating to think about!
Don, another really beautiful post. "Be here now." Yes. I found myself increasingly agitated and stressed during the entire month of May, for many reasons beyond my control (lots of end of the school year kid stuff), which led me to feeling out of myself. Out of here. Out of now.
So a few days ago when I was interviewed on a podcast, the host asked me what I would like to conclude with for midlife moms who are part of this "sandwich" generation of raising young kids while also caring for aging parents. I said this: "Show up today with a good heart, and respond to the moment you find yourself in."
The latter part of my message was centered around something I remember when I find that I'm slipping into worry or fear. I just look around me and ask, "What is this moment telling me?" Sometimes it's nothing. Sometimes it's to appreciate, to receive. And sometimes it inspires me to act. But to me, being here now is about receptivity and openness--allowing myself to simply be, without agenda or plans. Just to be. What a lovely way to live!
Nice, Jeannie, thanks for your comment. Yes, sometimes when I find myself asking what this moment has to tell me or teach me, I realize that I'm still looking for "other." I'm still trying to have control. So I let go of all that, and like you say, sometimes the moment is just about nothing, about the moment, but being intentionally in that state always leaves me feeling better afterward. 🙏💚
That’s so beautiful, Don. What a refreshing way to live in a society obsessed with productivity and doing! Did I tell you that I’m working on a project about the gift of waiting and being in liminal spaces between past and future (so, the present) and of moving from fear to hope and landing at that place in between the two (again, about the present). It’s largely about receptivity as an antidote to the “contributing member of society” mindset. Maybe we can talk about that and your book project next time we chat! :)
Sounds good, Jeannie. In regards to the "contributing member of society" comment, I've had some thoughts recently too, about how some activists place blame on anyone who they feel isn't doing enough by making statements like "If you're silent, you're complicit," or "If you're not angry, you're not paying attention." I feel that living with peace and compassion is the most powerful act one can make.
I do participate in the protest rallies near me but I just don't think it's right to tell people they're not doing enough, making them feel insecure and less than even if they're the best role model for what a harmonious violence-free life would look like.
Don, I love everything about this! Yes! I just finished reading a book called Born to Receive by Amanda Owen and she says that peacefully protesting or writing letters to effect change, etc are called "quiet power." She says this is a form of receptivity, and it's something I feel strongly drawn to, especially since nonviolence is very important to me.
Sitting in a corporate office, I imagine that if only I were overlooking beautiful Barnstable Harbor, I would have no trouble Being Here Now. Thanks for reminding me that isn't necessarily true!
Ha, yeah, a little harder to deal with “I wish I were somewhere else” when you’re at the office. Perhaps a little tone deaf on my part. 😔
Your comment reminds me of how fortunate I am!
But then I’ve put in like a million hours at jobs I didn’t like. I chose to work outside though, because at least I had the fresh air and the birds singing. I commend your stamina! 🙏💚
This moment is where we truly touch the intimacy of compassion and love. This moment is where we can meet ourselves with those forces. Thanks for sharing, Don💚💜
Thank you, Jimmy! 🙏💚
Looks like we’re right on the same wavelength today, Don! A wonderful, practical reminder to Be Here Now in everyday life, so good.
Yes, I was thinking the same thing as I read yours. Thanks, Sydney!
Now.
And now.
And now.
Thank you, Don.
Signed,
Extraordinary Overthinker
Ha, you and me both. Thanks, Elizabeth. 😊
🤜🤛
I agree. Several years ago I discovered that "Be Here Now" is for me the antidote to my monkey mind. So I had it tattooed on my forearm, for quick reminders. ;)
Wow, that’s dedication! 😊
Eckhart Tolle refers to this as The Joy of Being. I love how these words sound. Who wouldn't want to be this? When we pause to notice anything with our full awareness, we rise above our thoughts and become what we are experiencing. It would seem odd, but even being in full presence with something we perceive as negative feels much better than the thing in itself. It is the act of awareness, our complete awareness - being here now - that leads us into this beautiful state of the Joy of Being. The best kind of JOB., no? With awareness we become Joy. Thanks for sharing Don. Going to do some of this being here now stuff right now. xo
Nice, that does have a nice ring to it; the joy of being.
Thanks, Danni! 🙏💚
I love the simplicity of this piece. Nothing extra.
Thanks, Maia. 🙏💚
Thanks Don. Beautiful little harbour. Like the present moment really. Thanks for your simple and beautiful contemplation.
Thank you very much, Ian! 🙏😊
Don,
This is such a beautiful, calming essay! I love this line: "It was only my storytelling mind that had me believing that my life was unsatisfactory." It's true: the stories we tell ourselves have us erroneously convinced that they are reality.
For me, creating art is a type of meditation. Everything becomes flow as I continue to create. Thank you for this insightful essay!
Thank you, Beth. 🙏💚🎨
After parties in highschool my friends and I would spend a few hours “decompressing” in the parking lot of Sesuit harbor. These descriptions feel on point.
Oh, yeah? I know the place. When I first arrived on Cape Cod in 2006, I was working on a large eco-tour boat in that boatyard. In was my barter for a temporary place to live (the owner lived in Eastham and gave me a room).
Some teenagers got into trouble in that harbor recently, crashed a boat and one of them was killed.
That was the harbor I fished out of as religiously as a teenager could from 2004-2010.
I love that you made the decision to post the piece that resonated in the moment for you, Don. This is beautiful and has me in the Now. Thanks.
Thank you, Mel. 🙏💚
Don, your writing always brings me to a place of presence. I’ve been going through some darker days lately and the only thing saving me is when I take time to just be, to forget doing and just be. Amazing what we discover when we just sit with no intention but just sit. Thanks for this, Don.
Thank you so much, Steve, I really appreciate it. I'm sorry you've had some dark days—understandably. I imagine it takes years to process all the grief and other feelings and transitions of a loss such as you've experienced. Let alone the rest of life's challenges, which don't stop for a minute! My heart is with you, Steve. ❤️
I acutally read a whole newsletter without moving, switching tabs... thank you for a few minutes of stillness. yes, you're right, life as it is - is just fine. the feeling of always trying to get somewhere is no way to live is it.
Thanks, Jessica! Yeah, once in a while I know it’s a good idea to keep it short. 😊
I’m
On a mission to write shorter pieces
My approach is to use exactly as many words as it takes to say what I want to say and not a word more. Sometimes that means a 600-word post and sometimes it means 2000. It certainly means not rambling or going off subject. It means re-reading again and again to make sure no word is superfluous, no sentiment unnecessary, no thought left in unless it forwards my main theme.
Hey, Jessica, I’m sorry if this note sounded a little pedantic. I should have said, I hear you, I always get a little concerned when my essays get long, too, and try to keep them as short as I can. 💚
Not at all. I need to learn restraint. I enjoyed reading it. I’m far too self indulgent. Working on my memoir with literary consultant who was my tutor at uni when I did Masters in creative writing . He wants me to cut my book by half. It’s currently 138 thousand words ! It’s my third draft and really need to learn how to make a narrative. I’m really not good with structure . I certain I’m living with complex ptsd which doesn’t help. I appreciate you’re honesty don’t apologise
Perfect Don. 'Be here now' are some of the most helpful words I have ever encountered 😊
Thank you, Vicki! 🙏💚