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Thanks much!
I'll look out for it.
posted by
word.smith
on September 28, 2005 at 11:53 AM
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Wordsmith
There's a poem I love called, "So little Time". Will post it for you!
posted by
cosy
on September 28, 2005 at 11:37 AM
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Pat,
Interesting concept of time. Once spent, we can't get it back. I guess that may be why we make such a big deal of it. I agree that tomorrow does eventually take care of itself. If I'm living in a myth, just as long as I can have as much time as I want or need, don't wake me up. 
posted by
word.smith
on September 27, 2005 at 2:26 PM
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Joe,
I wish all my tomorrows consisted of lovely dreams. That would be perfect.
posted by
word.smith
on September 27, 2005 at 2:23 PM
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word...
the truth is, we all live in the myth that time exists. It works like an accordion, which can be squeezed so that something that happened to you 20-30-50 years ago can be remembered as though it were earlier this morning, but all the planning and wondering and conjecture you can develop will not give you a glimpse of what will really happen as the earth spins on its axis and we wake up "tomorrow." If you're living in the eternal now, (today) you'll find something worth seeing, hearing, thinking about. Whether or not you're living it well, tomorrow will take care of itself... As for minutes, hours, weeks, months, etc., that's all something we invented, something we think of as real so we can schedule activities, get ourselves in and out of traffic, back and forth to the job, meeting someone interesting for an evening's romantic encounter, get to the doctor's appointment on time, turn in that final report, etc... We live in myth.
posted by
Pat_B
on September 27, 2005 at 2:12 PM
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It's not bad thinking about tomorrow all the time. . ,
provided it's dreamy thoughts and not dreadful ones. Who needs to worry about the future, when there's so much to worry about in the present. lol
posted by
Joe_Love
on September 26, 2005 at 8:44 PM
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Argus,
There are some things that I need to work on. I should be enjoying life, not thinking about tomorrow and all that might or might not come with it. Planning is taking responsibility. I should be content to leave things after I've planned them without worrying about them. Yes, some existentialism would come in handy round about now.
posted by
word.smith
on September 25, 2005 at 12:06 PM
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Rhia, interesting way of planning...
Thanks. 
posted by
word.smith
on September 25, 2005 at 12:02 PM
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For sure, Offbeats!
posted by
word.smith
on September 25, 2005 at 12:00 PM
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word, our perception should be existential ---
focus on the here and now; our intelligence had better include a future orientation.
posted by
ARGUS
on September 25, 2005 at 9:45 AM
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Word the trick
is to find out where your time line is. Step outside it for planning and then back into it when you are living. Smile. Rhiannon1
posted by
Rhiannon1
on September 24, 2005 at 11:18 PM
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Word
Your going to have to work on that one!
posted by
Offy
on September 24, 2005 at 10:20 PM
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You betcha!
There's nothing to beat planning. I just wish I'd do that and not worry around it. 
posted by
word.smith
on September 24, 2005 at 10:08 PM
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Word
O dear I think we all have times when we think of only tomorrow, but as much as we plan and project, your right we are only given one day at a time. It is good to live in the "now" but planning has a lot to be said for it too!!
posted by
Offy
on September 24, 2005 at 9:48 PM
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Telly, thanks.
Now that's the sensible way of coping. I have to try to remember to take this route. If I totalled up all the hours I've spent worrying in the past, I'm sure it'd be half my life. In fact, as I wrote this, I was thinking that my next post would be based around the fact that most of what I spend time worrying about never happens. I've had to learn how to stop worrying, pray and lot and roll with the punches. Thanks again, Telly. I need to put those questions over my desk, where I can see them and put them into practise.
posted by
word.smith
on September 24, 2005 at 9:34 PM
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One of the coping skills that I learnt was to ask myself the following questions when I was fretting over something: 1. Can I do anything to move this (whatever the worry is) forward? 2. Do I have the right tools to do this? 3. Do I have the time to do this? If I answered no to any of them, then I knew that I had to go do something else for a while, and set a time early in the evening or late in the afternoon to give myself time to concentrate on just that problem -- or problems. Then if I found myself worrying later, I tell myself firmly that I've already spent worry time on it already and force my attention elsewhere. It's a hard lesson to learn, but with practice, it does work. Many hugs!
posted by
telynor
on September 24, 2005 at 7:25 PM
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Tissie,
what makes worrying about some things useless, is that we can't do a darn thing about those things we can't fix anyway.
posted by
word.smith
on September 24, 2005 at 7:09 PM
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word
I feel the same way. I try to only think about the present but many times worries of tomorrow creep in
nice post
Tissi Blake 
posted by
TissiBlake
on September 24, 2005 at 6:23 PM
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Thanks, Aria!
posted by
word.smith
on September 24, 2005 at 5:53 PM
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Libertine,
You can say that again. That person would be a billionaire in no time.
posted by
word.smith
on September 24, 2005 at 5:50 PM
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Quirky,
I would agree that looking forward is much more sensible than looking in the past.
posted by
word.smith
on September 24, 2005 at 5:47 PM
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Thanks Ginnie,
The older I get, the more I'm recognizing that everything I do demands some level of discipline. I make decisions to change certain habits and if I don't monitor myself, I'm right back where I started in no time.
posted by
word.smith
on September 24, 2005 at 5:46 PM
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Word-well said
posted by
Aria4
on September 24, 2005 at 5:42 PM
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It's so hard to live in the present. Those who've mastered the art should bottle it and sell it.
posted by
Holy_Grail
on September 24, 2005 at 3:52 PM
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Living in the present is the best choice. However, I think it's far preferable to always be looking ahead rather than back, with a litany of coulda shoulda wouldas...
posted by
Julia.
on September 24, 2005 at 3:35 PM
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Hard to do word...
.....I've done that all my life I think even though I've learned all about mindfulness and living in the now. Maybe recognizing it is the first way to change it? I've tried and it's hard but can be done. Good luck with it!
posted by
ginnieb
on September 24, 2005 at 2:49 PM
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Timmy,
That's right!
posted by
word.smith
on September 24, 2005 at 1:04 PM
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Oh, and yes
that eyeball can be disturbing...I wonder what's next?
posted by
word.smith
on September 24, 2005 at 1:03 PM
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Katray, there does seem to be so little time for self....
I always seem to be planning for something down the road. I'm realizing that it's an effort in itself to remain in the present, while planning for tomorrow. All I can do is try...
posted by
word.smith
on September 24, 2005 at 1:02 PM
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word
It's good to look ahead...........but you are right, we are in the here and now. By looking into the future, we can make tomorrow's here and now bright and sunny
posted by
TIMMYTALES
on September 24, 2005 at 12:11 PM
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I think raising a family causes that Word
I remember life before children - how "in the moment" and carefree those days were. Sigh...Ah well, probably too much so for myself. ;) There should be a balance between planning for the future and being focused on the present. Good, thought provoking post. Btw, that eyeball is um...rather interesting, lol.
posted by
Katray2
on September 24, 2005 at 11:30 AM
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