The Here and Now…
September 28, 2005 by dadnibea
As a young junior associate, I once had the fortune of being stuck in a hot, humid courtroom somewhere in Manila with an old, seedy-looking solo practitioner who looked badly in need of a new barong. Our cases were scheduled for hearing that day and the judge was already an hour late.
The other lawyers had already left and we were the only ones compelled enough to wait. He was handling some pro bono case for the IBP, while I was there to represent one of our firm’s biggest clients.
In the course of waiting, I was being my usual self, staring blankly at the wall and daydreaming of what I would do if I won the hundred million peso jackpot in the lotto. My reverie was broken by my compañero, who began cryptically by saying "You should focus on the here and now. The HERE and the NOW, the HERE and the NOW…," repeating the phrase like some buddhist mantra.
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Rudely awakened, I thought, "what the f–k?!" I was just getting to the good part about buying my own yacht! I was going to pretend I didn’t hear him but looking at the guy, I could see he was really intent on making conversation. Darn.
When he had my attention, he went on about how we could live a much fuller life, and how the world would be a better place if only we consciously lived and focused in the HERE and the NOW. "Relish every breath," he said. "Feel your feet on the ground, and take in everything going on around you. You will see beauty in the world and your purpose for being."
Come to think of it, the poor guy’s right. How many times have I caught myself worrying about the future, or regretting my past? This guy may not be rich but he’s leading a richer life simply by living in the here and now–not thinking two, three steps ahead, but just experiencing and enjoying the moment.
I should be so lucky…
