Do you ever snap out of a daydream only to realize that you were either lost somewhere in the past replaying events or caught up somewhere in the future worrying about what hasn’t even happened yet? No matter how much we might want it or want it back, the future will never actually be here, and the past is gone for good; all we really have is the present moment.
There’s an old saying that people who live primarily in the future tend to struggle with anxiety; whereas people who live primarily in the past tend to struggle with depression. The happiest people, however, understand how to live in the here and now of the present.
The truth is that no matter how much we wish we could go back in time and change things, we never can. And no matter how much we worry about a time that doesn’t exist yet, the future is simply not here. The only moment that ever exists is the present.
You can spend your time daydreaming about another time and place, and you’re certainly free to do so; but it’s worth being mindful that in embracing the present, you’re actually embracing life itself: Your actual life in the only actual moment that exists.
Do your best to be present as much as possible today.