“Were you to live three thousand years, or even a countless multiple of that, keep in mind that no-one ever loses a life other than the one they are living, and no-one ever lives a life other than the one they are losing. The longest and the shortest life, then, amount to the same, for the present moment lasts the same for all and is all anyone possesses. No-one can lose either the past or the future, for how can someone be deprived of what’s not theirs?” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations.
Memories of days gone by and dreams of things to come can promote strong emotions, both positive and negative. Emotions distort how we think in the present, making the emotional reaction stronger still. Wherever your journey so far has taken you, and wherever you think the next page of the map will unfold and reveal, remember where you are now, what you have now and who is there with you now, and find gratitude in the present. Gratitude has been shown to have beneficial health effects (reducing psychological and physiological stress…something we can all do with today).
