The Now

Sometimes I get ahead of myself. It's easy to do, thinking of all the things I want to get done and the time I have to do them. I think we all need to remind ourselves sometimes that the only time that is real is NOW. This instant. This moment in time is the only one that counts really. I know it's cliché but it's true, the past is in the past and the future is never guaranteed. When we are able to live in the now, we become more aware of things. This quality is captured in the Japanese word Zanshin. I believe that zanshin can be cultivated in human beings through practice. For me personally, surfing and martial arts training has helped me to practice living in the now. Whether it be a 20 foot wall of water or a man with a knife coming at you, you better be in the now!

This practice can be done through so many activities: yoga, tai chi, snowboarding, bicycling, skateboarding, a basketball game, painting, writing poetry, competitive sport fighting, rock climbing, horse riding ...well, the list is endless. I think the key is finding an activity that requires your complete attention at the moment you are engaging in it. It's so easy to get caught up in "the rat race" and so refreshing to find an outlet.