Time Standing Still - Making The Present Count, article written by Glen McKenzie at Spillwords.com

Time Standing Still – Making The Present Count

Time Standing Still

Making The Present Count

written by: Glen McKenzie

@justabitfurther

 

A picture is simply a memory frozen in time.”

 

Does time really ever stand still?

As much as some might like to wish for or even wildly strive towards, there comes at some juncture, a stark and unfortunate reality that life and specifically their life is not frozen in time.

For all of us, chances are there was a time in our distant past or even last week for that matter, that we prayed to have that particular moment captured for eternity; a situation or place that for all intents and purposes was perfect.

It may have been those days on vacation that we spent walking along a soft, white sand beach on a tropical island. A warm gentle breeze that was lovingly caressing our skin. No cares in the world; no troubles or strife banging at our front door wanting. We’re truly in that one perfect moment.

Perhaps it was that afternoon strolling through the park, hand in hand with your lover. Eyes locked on each other; wishing the moment would go on forever.

It was some event when it seemed the planets aligned and the universe was at smiling and shining down upon us. The moment each one of us dreams for.

Those moments come and we’re grateful beyond belief for them, however, life continues to tick by one-second; one minute at a time.

We all have snapshots of those memories stuffed away in a shoe box or in a drawer someplace of a moment, which we may describe as being perfect.

And they may truly be perfect. And we want that moment; that memory “frozen in time.” We wish our lives now existed like that memory and moved forward like that one perfect moment, unsullied by the depravity and sadness found in the world today.

We can’t live in that “perfect moment.” That moment, regardless of what it was and how much you want it to stay; how much you wish it exists; it doesn’t.

The memory of it will; a picture of it will, but time moves on.

Living in that “perfect moment” only exists if we’re living in some sort of bubble that insulates us from the rest of the world and humanity. A little alternative time-space continuum.

Ironically, we can’t run and hide from life. Regardless if we want to or not, we all have to live life as it presents itself in the now.

Life ticks by one-second at a time. That moment we hold so dearly in our hearts and memory doesn’t freeze our life into some sort of perfect existence. Life is full of hardships, tears and like all people there will be those times when pushing the “delete button” and travelling back in time to when everything seemed perfect would work just fine. But, life doesn’t work that way.

 

Being Present

We need to live to make every second; every minute; every hour count. Over the past several months, I’ve read a lot and written a number of pieces recently about living in the moment. Not dwelling in the past or so focused on a future we have no control over, but to live for the time that’s right in front of us. Because we never know what the next second will bring.

Residing in the “glory days of the past” or living in “our minds-eye” a future we can’t control, are both places not to permanently settle. With eyes focused on bygone times or fixated on the future, we take the chance to miss those flashes of perfection right in front of us?

That is the scariest part of all of this. Here we are living in the “present;” we’re seeing everything, but missing it all. Or at least a decent and unfortunate chance of missing those “Hallmark” points in our lives. Even worse is if one of those unnoticed highlights was the ONE we wanted “frozen in time.”

We can’t change the former and we can’t control the future. The memory of those perfect moments; those “frozen in time” images will always be preserved. But you know what?

There will be other “frozen in time” moments.

We don’t know what they might look like. No idea when or where they will occur. Just live like this is our last day on Earth; make every second count; love and live in the moment that we find right before us.

There is much truth in living and being “in the moment.” Most of those “frozen in time” pages of our lives aren’t necessarily the most spectacular, although they could. Most of those memories we cherish, the ones we remember are often the little things.

When we’re being in the moment and living life to its fullest potential within each second that is before us, we won’t miss much.

In fact, if we do that, we won’t miss anything and we’ll have plenty of “frozen in time” snapshots to fill a dresser drawer.

Be here and present in the now.

Don’t get stuck and mired in some reality that truly only exists in the recesses of your mind. “Frozen in time” is an exceptionally well used, albeit somewhat useless cliche.

Life is not a snapshot; a still picture that captured a memory of long ago.

Life is like a moving picture, changing and evolving as each second passes by.

A documentary that gets edited and re-edited at our own choosing. We are the Screen-Writer, Producer, Director, and film company all wrapped up into a single but beautiful bundle. Each day we continue shooting, editing and re-mixing a masterpiece of cinematography called you….called me.

Just a thought.

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