This Moment Is Still a Life
"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." — Annie Dillard
It's so easy to miss your life whilst waiting for it to begin.
You think it will start when the chaos ends, when the inbox is cleared when the healing is done, when the house is in order and when you feel more confident, more inspired, more ready.
You treat now like a hallway. A waiting room. It's a prelude to the part that matters.
But this moment?
This moment is still a life.
It may not be glamorous. It may not be what you expected. It may be full of small routines, undone laundry, unanswered questions, a body that aches, and a heart that's still figuring itself out.
But it's yours. And it's real. And it counts.
As Ram Dass reminds us, "Be here now."
Not when you're ready. Not when it's perfect. Now.
You don't need to be at your best to be alive.
You don't need a perfect plan to participate.
You don't need clarity to take in the light on the wall, the way someone laughs, or how good your coffee smells this morning.
Presence is not a reward for figuring it all out.
It's a practice. And it starts by choosing now, again and again.
Choosing to breathe in, even when the air is thick with uncertainty.
Choosing to show up in your real life, not just the ideal version in your head.
Choosing to say: I'm here. Even if I'm tired. Even if I'm unsure. Even if I'm still healing.
Because there is no "later" where everything is sorted and you finally feel complete.
"This moment is the only time over which we have dominion." - Jon Kabat-Zinn
This moment is asking for your attention, not your perfection.
There is only now. There is only this version of you, at this moment, in this breath.
That version deserves to be experienced, not rushed past or pushed aside in the name of improvement. She's not silenced because she's not there yet.
You are not a project. You are a presence.
And this moment? It's not a placeholder.
It's a pulse. It's an invitation. It's a life.
Mary Oliver knew this when she wrote, "Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
The answer isn't tomorrow.
It's not when you're healed, whole, or ready.
The answer is here. The answer is now.