Don’t be miserable in advance

How easily we leave the life that is here and travel into a future that has not yet happened. We imagine the difficult conversation, the disappointing outcome, the thing we fear losing—and our bodies begin living that imagined moment as though it were already true.

But today is still here. This breath is here. The chair beneath you, the light entering the room, and the next loving choice are all here. The future has made no demand of you yet.

This is not an invitation to deny what needs attention. It is an invitation to meet what is real without adding tomorrow’s imagined pain to today’s actual responsibilities.

When the mind races ahead, I return to one quiet question: What is mine to live now? Usually, the answer is smaller and kinder than fear would have me believe.

Do not abandon this day to rehearse a sorrow that may never arrive. Let yourself be here.