Currently, it’s not that uncommon for my eyes to suddenly land on my wristwatch, followed by the sudden pound of my heart at the realization of how little I accomplished in a day. And unfortunately, I would be so heavily consumed at the fact of how little I felt. I was oblivious to the preciousness of each and every second of the day and punishment arrives in the form of regret. I would hiss at words I couldn’t take back, and at the smallest of opportunities, that I didn’t take.

It was until I came across those two words in my title that I’m re-awakened.

Be present.

I used to be so full of wonder. The world, the breaths that I took mesmerized me. Now, being a fresh bun out of the academic oven, a new mission surfaces in the form of sustaining myself, a.k.a finding a job. In other words, I’ve been spending time befriending reality in a much more intimate manner. However, the more I look around, I cringe at the possibility that striving for our dreams might just come with a sacrifice of our sanity. There’s a profound worry at the sight of everyone’s heads constantly bowed down to absorb the bluish hue of our smartphones – myself included.  So, feel this hunger with me and be present. Of course, it doesn’t single-handedly mean that we shouldn’t set goals for ourselves, especially when working towards a future to get by. And despite their absolute mandate in the workplace, we shouldn’t push ourselves to the curb. I’m telling you that it’s okay to slow down.

Take time to stretch your legs at work. There is no shame in being frustrated but every day I still try to let my lungs remember how to rise and fall in gratitude at the thought of waking up every morning to a purpose, as well as a productive day ahead. We get so cynical sometimes that we forget just how beautifully the mid-morning sun glazes over a wet asphalt after some cold drizzles, and how resilient daylight pierces through your office windows. So, realize that there’s endless ways to be one in the now. You could reward yourself after that last paragraph of a report with a cup of your favorite, and perhaps drop a question to a friend on how their day is unraveling.

Just take these group of girls and the disheveled state of their table the afternoon I took the picture above. I was moved to capture the intensity of their chit-chats as a symbolization of my most coveted state of being. I believe that by being present, we won’t even have to think about what shirt perfectly goes with what pants for the day, nor whether our newest phones will do the job of impressing everyone. Why? Because it all comes down to the simplest, and littlest things that actually live the longest in our minds and hearts. May it be words of consolation, encouragement, a touch on the shoulder or a whisper of “It’s okay,”, we all have the power to turn today into pieces of moments you’ll remember down the road when bitterness strikes. That when you were able to take the present in all its complexities by the hand to guide you forward. And most importantly; that you could do it again, and again.

This post is inspired by a monthly theme assigned by The Blog Project.

For March, the theme is ‘Today”