I lost a friend today. I used to work with him when I lived in California. Shortly after he moved to Oregon with his wife, I also moved to Oregon with my family. We both talked about meeting up somewhere, but we never got around to it.

I just experienced the end of a missed opportunity. Living in a future where I didn’t meet up with my friends is not acceptable.

Whittling

I’ve been whittling away at the happenings in my life. I’ve been chipping, and scraping, and sanding more in the past couple of years than all of my almost fifty years.

I have many extra pieces moving on my life’s chessboard, which makes my life more complicated. As a result, I’ve been cleaning and arranging the pieces so they can move with grace. It has opened my eyes, and now I am clear. I am clear of mind that I must keep whittling.

The Eternal Now

My youth, and most of my adulthood, was spent looking ahead. I would think about who I wanted to be five, ten, and twenty years from now. Finally, I woke up.

Living in the present enables clarity of mind that lends itself to a more fulfilling life. I’m still working towards living in the center between the future and the past. I will be working on it for the rest of my life. Finding the middle way is a lifelong journey full of falling and getting back up. Much like the first time on a balance beam, centering yourself in the present takes practice, as the Germans say.

Practice makes the master.

Life

I lost my friend today. Life goes on, but death has changed me and nearly always does. My friend is still part of this world, and he will be as long as I am alive. His body may be gone, but his soul lives on. We are all part of this world, we are all connected, and we all live forever.

A Moment