Poem: Living in the Now

When morning slips in with its bright little light,
Don’t drag yesterday’s worries out of the night.
Say, “Here is a day I have never yet known.
I’ll see what can blossom from seeds I have sown.”

The past may come knocking with, “Why did you choose
That word or that path? Think of all you could lose!”
You did what you could with the wisdom you knew.
Take what it taught you, then let it pass through.

The future may wave from a faraway hill
And shout, “What if this happens? What if it will?”
But “what if” is guessing. It has no more say
Than the breeze through your window on this brand-new day.

Look out at a tree. It stands where it grows.
It doesn’t rehearse for the wind when it blows.
A cat finds a patch of warm sun on the floor
And rests without wishing for sunshine from before.

So pause with that tree. Feel your feet on the ground.
Hear one small, ordinary, wonderful sound.
Let others move forward in ways they have grown.
Their choices are theirs, just as yours are your own.

Forgive this old world for its noise and its fuss.
Forgive all the people, including dear us.
Make room for a neighbor whose heart can be light,
Who’s learned to meet trouble and still sleep at night.

Together, make spaces where kindness can stay,
Where children may grow in their own special way.
The world will keep changing; you needn’t know how.
Begin where you are. Love your life in the now.

Join the Discussion:

Do you keep worrying about things you can’t change? How often do you stress about the world in general? Would you rather find room for things that matter and you can influence?