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Artwork by Tu-2

The skies are clear. Perfect for the solar eclipse that has been coming. The temperature sits at 50 degrees fahrenheit. Today is Monday.

It has been quite a break between now and the last writing. Something has been causing the shift away from securing words, to securing time for letting a shift happen. It is a familiar phenomenon - creating space so the next thing can enter.

You notice that when there is so much happening, one thing after the next - calls, meet ups, celebrations, daily tasks – that there is a way that the fleeting quality of time intensifies. When you want to slow time down, it is remarkably simple: sit quietly, allow the breath to come and go along with all the thoughts of what needs have to be met. Breath and posture is what we have to work with in this lifetime. Then, we move.

What is next?

This is a question that seems to be held by folks, no matter age, occupation, identities of all kinds. It is a habit that pre-occupies the mind, decreasing one's ability to appreciate what is now. Therein lies the problem for many. When the thoughts run constantly to the "what if's" we create scenarios that can carry away our capacity to engage with so many things - our health, the beauty of our skies, the ability to serve, and so much more. In short, we miss the point. The point being that we recognize ourselves and others in this moment. Moment-by-moment is how we in fact exist. But the tendency is not to be in the moment - we are trained to be vigilant, to be ready, to anticipate.

Even in the last chapters of life, there is a curiosity about what may be on the "other side." There is something awaiting our arrival to the next place and we have no idea what that something may be - heaven, hell, darkness, light - we can't really know. What we can know is what is happening now, and we can recognize that this is the material that we have to work with in getting ourselves to realize our best moments and selves. It is a practice that needs to be cultivated if you want to end up knowing that this unique opportunity has been gifted to you.

Witnessing the expansive nature of what is now is easy if you open your senses and break through the doubt that often follows exploration into new realities. In a refugee camp not far from home, there are thousands of people whose lives have been placed on hold. Adults and children, just living in now - there is nothing certain about their lives, but the fact of being cared for by a pastor who knows his role in this lifetime. His capacity to love seems endless and his certainty about serving has created safety for now. That safety has brought sharing, laughter, and kindness in an unkind world. That's happening NOW. Next? Who knows.