“Go ahead, follow your dreams. Don’t stop, don’t feel that you’ve reached your haven. Try to live as intensely as you could. But, understanding at the end that there will be an answer. This answer is for your classic question. Who am i“
Paulo Coelho’s words from an interview.
In the ever-accelerating race of our existence, we find ourselves consumed by a ceaseless barrage of tasks and communications, appointments and missives, obligations and minutiae, until the day concludes, only to recommence in the morrow.
Such is the customary manner of life — the relentless pursuit of completion.
Yet, every moment presents an invitation to delve deeper, to truly immerse ourselves in the present.
The exquisite challenge lies in embracing each instant. To begin with, we must rouse ourselves to the unfolding now. When our minds wander amidst the labyrinth of our thoughts, we become oblivious to the symphony of birdsong that surrounds us. We forsake life itself, yet we can reawaken to the immediacy of our existence.
We can explore further: indulge our curiosity about the myriad aspects of this very moment. What novel elements can be discerned, which have hitherto escaped our notice? What revelations await us, should we attune ourselves more acutely to the present? What delicate intricacies, often relegated to the periphery of our perception, might we uncover?
And we can venture even deeper: discovering awe in each instant, allowing the ebb and flow of our experiences to become a wellspring of enchantment, wonder, and profound gratitude.
And still we can plunge further: we can awaken to our emotions, examining how we yearn to evade or immobilize them, rather than simply allowing them to ebb and flow as a ceaseless river of experience. We can approach these emotional currents with curiosity, with tenderness.
And yet deeper still: we can permit the sensations of the present, and the emotions they evoke, to draw us closer to the vulnerability and expansiveness of our hearts. Amid feelings of frustration or sorrow, can we allow these emotions to bridge the gap to our authentic selves, to the core of our being that experiences anger and grief? Can we surrender to the infinite compassion of our hearts, and the vast openness of our greater consciousness?
Descending to even greater depths: we can awaken to the transient nature of each moment, to the inevitable impermanence that governs our reality, to the understanding that our experiences are merely manifestations of the river of change. As we come to terms with the ephemeral essence of existence, we recognize that there is nothing to which we can cling, that our suffering arises from attempting to grasp the insubstantial.
Through this realization, we come to perceive the sanctity of the present. The wonder and love inherent in the realm of our experiences. The precious gift of life and consciousness.
How might we embrace this intention, this practice of delving deeply into each moment? How can we remind ourselves to engage in this transformative pursuit?