There is More Beyond Now …

There is a very famous quote that says, “Today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” It pops up all over the Internet and social media, especially on the accounts of influencers and content creators who have a more inspirational or motivational flair. We are very often encouraged to stay present. The crux of the message is to pay attention to the time we are in - to not let these precious seconds, hours, and minutes slip away into rituals of oblivion and mundaneness.

It is a good and necessary message. Especially considering the very complex and often fast-paced lives we are often pushed into leading … in a world with a multiplicity of information and communication channels, and all forms of entertainment constantly vying for our attention. We do need to cultivate awareness and intentionality so that our time is not stolen by all the distractions around us.

But there is a balance that must be attained. Because sometimes we get stuck in our present. Sometimes we become so mired in the moment we are living in, the version of ourselves we are seeing, the challenges we are facing or the way we are feeling … to the point where we forget to look upward and outward … to beyond the here and now.

The quote in the picture is one I snapped from We The Urban’s Threads account. It is a beautiful and timely reminder that this moment - this gift of the present - is not and will not be all there is to us. With the future comes the promise of newness, and in this newness lives possibility for change, growth, expansion, correction, redemption, renewal, fresh starts, hope … and many other wonderful things! It is a reminder that we are all evolving and that as time moves forward, so do we - past the present and into a future that can gift us many new and beautiful moments.

Let’s appreciate the present, but also give thanks for the future. Here’s to hope and many many more firsts.