The shadow by my finger cast,….
Divides the future from the past.
Behind its unreturning line,
The vanished hour, no longer thine.
Before it lies the unknown hour
In darkness and beyond thine power.
One hour alone is in thine hands,
The now on which the shadow stands.
By Dale Simonson
The words above, inscribed on the sundial on the Wellesley College campus, poetically capture the essence of time and the importance of living in the moment.
We each live our lives with varying degrees of focus on the past, present, and future. Each perspective has its advantages and disadvantages, but if there’s one recurring theme I hear, both from acquaintances and in study after study, is that too few of us spend enough time focused on the present.
Focusing on the present moment – often called mindfulness – is proven to:
One common theme I hear from adventurers is that nothing beats a tough physical challenge in the outdoors for bringing a sharp focus on the moment. Whether it’s scaling a rock face, climbing a mountain, or camping in the woods, activities like these strip our focus down to basic needs such as food, sleep, shelter, and warmth. It’s amazing how alive you can feel in such a rudimentary environment. So get outside and give mindfulness a try!