PeeChee, Plaid, and Staying in the Now

On now

“But thinking about what might happen in the future stresses me out,” explained bird.

“Do you know where your feet are right now?” asked bear. “Be there.”

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📷: Endless (42” tall x 35” wide)
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When I was a kid, my backpack was a dark navy blue. What color was yours?

The PeeChee folders tucked inside were, go figure, a peachy-yellow; my name and grade carefully inscribed in cursive on the inner flap.

With the exception of “free dress days,” I wore brown denim pants to school with double-patched knees and white button-down shirts. Brown shoes to match.

God apparently did not like color, but was a fan of ugly plaid – as the girls’ jumpers and skirts at St. Didacus were a crossbarred collection of barf beige-browns and dull off-whites.

As a kid, June was always a complicated month. School ending. Summer beginning. The countdown to school beginning again, time crammed in between, and already worrying about how to answer the “what did you do this summer?” question.

Because even on the last day of school, I was already thinking about the first day of school to come. And stressed about it.

We miss so much, don’t we? when we’re so busy looking ahead – especially when that looking pairs with worrying; worrying about so many things that have not – and likely will not – happen in the future.

Then will come. But it is not now.

Now is a cup of tea, swirling steam, morning sunlight on oaky floors.

Now is the kid who just walked by on his way to school, swinging a stick as if a tennis racket.

Now is typing this and pausing to listen more closely to the ethereal @lilykershaw.

Now is the excitement I feel about racing my bike this weekend.

Now is an opportunity, full and ready, to reset, to remind (or maybe that should “de-mind”), breathing in, breathing out.

Can you take a moment to feel into what's alive in your now right, well, now?