present

There is a trite saying that goes "The past is history, tomorrow's a mystery, but today is a gift that's why they call it the present".  Yes today is a gift, as is living in the present.  Each morning when I open my eyes and awaken I am always, in that moment, thankful to be alive to experience another day.  By staying in the present, living in the moment I believe I have remained positive, healthy, and happy.  And isn't being happy and healthy what really matters in life?  Can one be healthy if one is not happy? No.  Nor can one be happy if not healthy.  This sounds simple yet how many of us understand this simple but unassailable tenet of existence?  By really being in the present, not dwelling on the past nor worrying about the future we can be free of so much of the negative emotions that cause us stress, distress and all the accompanying ailments that these emotions will cause.  The amount of time I used to unconsciously spend on ruminating about the future, so called what if thinking, was not compatible with having peace of mind.  Correspondingly the amount of effort wasted on analyzing my past did me no good and only contributed to feelings of anxiety and unease.  These days, and for a while, I have learned to focus on the time being or the present.  By doing so I have achieved an inner peace heretofore unknown to me.  It takes practice, just like getting good at anything does, but the results are well worth it.  So, carpe diem(latin for seize the day).   WML