All the present is but an instant in eternity.
~Meditations, Marcus Aurelius
The ruling part of you is that which rouses and steers itself, making itself what it wishes to be, and making all that happens take such appearance as it will (ibid).
All things – no matter how intense, unfair, maddening, scary – don’t last forever. Given the entirety of the universe within which we all operate, the things that seem so pressing in the moment leave us in the next. It’s often us who continue to hold on, to replay these moments in our minds, trying to make them something they just weren’t.
Maybe we embrace this ephemeral nature of eternity. Maybe it’s by design that nothing lasts and we are called to live in that flow. to let things come and go as they do, and keep looking ahead to what’s next. Not in a frenetic, to-do list mindset, but in a spirit of discernment and discovery, open to the twists and turns bound to happen, knowing there is much to learn that will add to our human experience on earth.
It’s time to rouse ourselves for the day once again, to get after our reasons for being here and throw off the lethargy we’ve lapsed into. We all have a reason for being here, a purpose in being born and brought into the world that we are to seek, live, and live out all the days of our life. By being sluggish, by telling ourselves we’re tired, overwhelmed, can’t do it, by day-drinking more than we should, but not making an effort to change out of our sweatpants, we do ourselves a disservice. We sell ourselves short, we do not show love to ourselves and to those around us who are impacted by our purpose because we choose to hit the snooze multiple times, do not get ourselves ready for the day, and allow ourselves to be distracted by our phones and the drama of modern life.
We are better than that. We are better than laying around, zoning out, answering “meh” to questions and opportunities put to us in that eternal instant that, if we don’t use our discernment and discovery, leave us, never to return. We are each of us uniquely and wondrously created, and we don’t have all the time we think we do to get after that reason and purpose d’etre.
So today, rise and go forth. In some small way, make a different choice, whether it be your mindset, your action, the way you talk about things. Start to develop higher standards for yourself, which in turn, will translate into higher standards for your life and those who come in contact with you. I’m not saying that the allure of the warm, cozy bed isn’t strong (especially if you have someone lying next to you who is sweetening the deal), yet we must rise above our inclinations and get started. We, and eternity, are the direct benefactors of this choice.