You showed up….

 

here

artgarfunkel

This is a photo of my family. But look. Apparently, my sister Sue dated Art Garfunkel at some point. And he is holding our cat, who was developmentally delayed… in the brain. That cat could only walk backwards, and it was the most-meowing cat I ever heard. One morning… it walked backwards right underneath a moving car. Silent for ever more.

The following week, Simon and Garfunkel wrote The Sound of Silence.

But nonetheless, my point is, I love to look back at these old photos. And tonight, I wondered why, we… as humans….. like to look back at the past. We like to see old photos, and relive historical events through books. When we read the newspaper, we are truly reviewing the past.

It is because of the miracle of it. I think. It all came together to be… now.

Here’s how it goes.

You are HERE.

And that in itself, it pretty miraculous. All of your ancestors, all the ones who came before you, had to come together in each exact moment, in just the right time, for you to be here.

Your grandparents had to meet by that tree swing at the park, at the precise moment when they did. And from that point on, all the rest had to unfold in the perfect timing, for your mom to be born. The same for your dad. It goes back to their grandparents, and for all the generations before them. All by the faultless and true timing, of every encounter, every singular experience,  each and every breath.

Honest to goodness. It is spectacular… that we are right here, right now.

And the thing of it is, it works this way… not only for humans, but also for every other living being on this planet.

This woodpecker, for example. It’s existence occurred by the convergence of generations, and generations, of woodpeckers before.

Sometimes, when I reflect on these things, I am overwhelmed by the enormity of it all. The alignment. Of all that energy and being and grand interaction.   Whewwwweeeeeeeee. It makes me quiver.

But again, the true marvelous phenomenon, is that we are here. And here, means RIGHT here. In this moment and nowhere else. It is the only place we are capable of being.   In this moment.  Breathing.  Living.  Being.

And that, is why, it is important to be aware of each moment, and be glad and grateful for it, for ourselves, and for each other.

I am grateful for you.


Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.
–Nido Qubein

You must live in the present, launch yourself on every wave, find your eternity in each moment.
–Henry David Thoreau

The present moment, if you think about it, is the only time there is. No matter what time it is, it is always now.
–Marianne Williamson

woody