Sometimes it is hard to find a topic, one that seems part of me and yet one of interest to somebody who looks at my blog. One source is the present: what just happened, what is happening now. Of course, the present is elusive. By the time I see it or realize it, it has already gone.
It is often said that the present is all we have. The past, last year or a moment ago, is over and the future isn't here yet. But it is more complicated than that. I can read and study and ruminate and imagine human life thousands of years ago. I can stew in guilt or regret over what I did that time or what I failed to do. It is the human mind and imagination again, that ability to dwell in the past, while still following today's needs and opportunities.
The name Eckhart Tolle is a good one for getting encouragement and hints for focusing on the present. His books "The Power of Now" and "Stillness Speaks" and others help thinking about the present and explaining the power of attending to current surroundings and events. As we age, we can work to accept what we remember of our own past, trying to forgive and accept shortcomings and recognize and accept wise and intelligent actions we took.
I tried an app that is supposed to employ the new ChatGPT artificial intelligence bot. I just asked it "What's up?" and it said, "Just hanging out. What about you?" I didn't answer or continue conversing (in writing, of course, which means no voice tone or vocal expression). I could have said I am sitting at a keyboard, writing to you. Accurate observation coupled with imaginative perspective often shows up something or other that may be worth mentioning. I type on a Hewlett-Packard auxiliary keyboard and have for years with the idea that using it means I am always facing the same size keys sitting the same distance apart.
When I pay close attention to people and things around me, I see things I didn't see yesterday, things and expressions of interest. We ate lunch out and a little girl, maybe three or four years old, started screaming about something her father forbade. She was shaking with pain and rage but 90 seconds later was calmly eating her lunch. I would still like to question her and her dad about the issue. I imagine the father might remember but the girl might just say "What?"
