Dear Past and Future,

When I was young all I wanted to do was grow up, to get to the next year, to graduate the next grade. Starting at five I would say, "Then I’ll be six, then I’ll be seven" Faster and faster to my mom. Tears were running down her face, praying for me to stop, to slow down and not wish it away. But I did not, instead I said them faster and faster.

As a child I didn't understand the damage I was doing. Another year went by and I blew out the six candles. Smiling to my mom saying, "Then I’ll be seven, then I’ll be eight." and on and on I went.

She said, “Sarah if you are too busy waiting till next year right now will be forgotten.” I laughed at her and said, "A year is a long time, my birthday can not come any sooner."

At the time, I was the polar opposite of Peter Pan, yearning to get older. Like a car on the highway driving so fast the road signs are a blur. My life became a race to get to the next checkpoint, the next mile marker, the next year on the interstate of life.

Then something happened and my brain flipped. My want to grow up turned into fear of aging. Now I am 18 and I no longer say then “I’ll be” to my mother. I no longer wish for the next birthday, I no longer count down the days until the next year. I no longer wait for tomorrow.

Some people live in the past, others live in the future, I want to live in the now.

How can I live in the now is a constant question I ask myself daily. One way to live in the now is being thankful for today. Every morning I wake up despite my dislike for mornings and I look in the mirror and say, "Today will be a good day." I continue my day thinking of everything in the present. Everything I'm thankful for in the now. I say words in the present tense to make my self live in the present.

Another way to live in the now is to experience things for what they are right then. So many people capture everything in their photo stream. Something cool happens and they video tape it or take a picture. We have all been that person. This person used to be me. I took photos of everything I did, everywhere I went, everyone I was with. I was living my life through a camera lens recording everything for the future.

By no means am I telling you not to capture important events with a snapshot or Snapchat I just think that to live in the now it needs to be with our own eyes not a camera lens.

I have lived in the future, and I've lived in the past and now I can say I live in the here and now and those are just a few ways that I do it.

From,

The Present