Now or Never

Come out of the circle of time
And into the circle of love
Rumi

If you look back on the truly joyous moments of your life you will find that most happened in the absence of an awareness of time. People describe ecstatic experiences as "I was totally lost in the moment," "time stood still," or "it seemed to last forever." It is no mere coincidence that joy exists in a timeless state; it is the release from time that allows joy to be. You cannot experience true happiness while you are torn between past and future, between this moment and the next.

The reason that it so hard to give up our dependence on time is that we have placed all of our bets on time. We put in so much time so that we may later use our time more wisely and live out our remaining time in peace. Throughout our lives we constantly feel the pressure of the past at our backs while the future seems to be heading toward us with ever increasing speed. There we sit, a tiny grape in the vice of what was and what will be, knowing that the big squish is coming and there is nothing we can do but hope that we will have a better life as grape juice, or even better, wine.

To break free of time’s grip does not require Herculean strength. To the contrary, it requires the simple act of letting go. When you drop the mind conditioning that has you rocketing back and forth between the past and future, you will find the stillness of absolute presence. By accepting the present as it is you will discover the wisdom in the Taoist saying "if you want to have a stress- free life, wish for things to be the way they are rather than the way you want them to be." The circle of time is the not-so-merry-go-round that we often ride day after day. If this has left you feeling a little nauseous, feel free to jump off. The only thing that you will miss is the sense of vertigo that comes from a life spinning out of control.

If the time vice has you tightly clamped at the moment you are probably thinking "where I am going to find the time to practice this present moment stuff?" I am going to ask that you put down that day planner and slowly back away from the belief that there are not enough hours in the day. Understand, deeply, that there is no such thing as work time, free time, down time or the right time. Begin to appreciate that life is just one big happening that you have sliced into what you thought were more manageable pieces. Stop worrying about past events, they are nothing more than antique stores of the mind. Put an end to obsessing about how your future will turn out. Settle into the present moment.

Here are a few tips for breaking free from your role as time traveler:

1.Hang out with animals, they are Zen masters of present moment awareness.
2.Focus on your breathing. You can only breathe in the now. Enjoy a breath of the present moment.
3. Take breaks from time. See what happens when you respond to your body’s
rhythms rather than the unnatural ticking and clicking of the multiple time pieces that surround you.
4. See if you can stop retelling "poor me" stories, they simply give your ego a new place to hang its old hat.
5. Release your need to control your future. Your ego has about as much influence over the future as your child has over your car as he sits next to you with the little plastic steering wheel in his hands.
6. Read any of Thich Nhat Hanh’s wonderful books, or The Healing Power of Stress by that savvy author, Mike Verano.