The Eternal Present, Blog continued:

precious piece of my individuality will I sacrifice if I give up awareness of the world around me if I lessen participation in it?

There's a way through this dilemma, however, and that's to choose how I live in the ETERNAL PRESENT. To be present in the moment doesn't mean I have to choose the bombardment of what the media chooses for me. That's a ridiculous thought. The Eternal Present is so valuable, I need to carefully curate it NOW. A moment is precious because it is fleeting and I want it to last because I've chosen it so carefully.

So why do I call it the ETERNAL present? Because it's always the present! Right now is the present. . .  and now . . . and now. The present is always the current moment and gone in a flash which is why I say it's always the present!

Is there a way to expand the present & simultaneously inhabit a present I desire? The Eternal Present. Let's say you're here in the moment; in the present, in a situation you chose. Oh, wait a minute--what if you're living someone's else's life, or a life someone else chose for you, then change it to something you choose. Consciously choose a path of heart--what you desire. Choose a path of clarity--a path you're able to envision. Choose a path of hope-- because hope is a cause not an effect.  As Henry David Thoreau said:

       "Pursue some path, however narrow and crooked, in                     which you can walk with love and reverence."

Ok, so what does all that mean? It means you set forth on a path with intention and awareness. IT means you don't hide from the resent moment, but you choose HOW you spend it Your awareness and all your senses are in tune in the way you hope and decide.

Then, when your present slips into the past, your PAST PATH contains only what you you were aware of--what you chose and accepted in this rare opportunity we call life. Off the top of my head, I would say some of those precious  moments of awareness might be family time, neighbors & friendship circles, time in nature, reading good books & articles, cooking & eating healthy food, traveling to worthwhile places . . . the list could go on without once resorting to unhealthy or toxic topics. 

Now here's where the magic happens:

When your PRESENT slips into the past, your PAST PATH contains only what your awareness held onto and the way you accepted it. Whatever you paid attention to in the former present becomes your PAST PATH. That includes your attitude.

 

 

Where does the past reside? In two places: first it is duplicated in your memories, and second in the consequences you generated by the actions in the former present. That's it. If you're aware of the memories you're creatin in the Eternal Present, then you are building a lovely "Stream of Memories" filled with the sights and sounds--even tastes and feels & adventures of your life and all that surrounds you. You're on your way to building a dynamic path that reflects the real, authentic YouWonderfulYou.

BUT THERE'S MORE

You don't only affect the Past Path in the current moment, because you are moving toward the Imagined Future as you go. It's critical for you AUTHENTIC SELF that you imagine a path that begins where  you are and extends in a direction you want to go! You also need to be faced in the right direction.

The moment you start imagining must follow the path in-between where you actually live-and-breathe and where you want to "go" or it's not real. As an example, if you want to go to New York, but instead you follow a map from Houston to Los Angeles, you're not going to make it to New York, are you? IF you want to build a table, but watch instructions on YouTube for sewing an apron, you're not going to have a table, are you? In these instances, your supposed imagine future is just a fantasy and not real. What does that look like? You would be spinning out of control, unable to find yourself and easy prey for any trickster, control freak, con-artist, monster, false influencer, corrupt businessman or politician, etc., to steer you in dangerous directions. Before you know it, you're somewhere or somewhen you never imagined, and you don't know why or even how because you weren't paying attention!

Aha! Now we've circle back to the importance of paying attention to the present moment on our daily path, to the ETERNAL PRESENT not just for the PAST PATH but also for the IMAGINED FUTURE. Keep an idea in mind of what you desire and don't imagine you're there already because you have to follow the path itself in order to get there. As Kalpana Chawla wrote:

         "The path from dreams to success exists. May you                    have the vision to find it, the courage to get on it, and

         the perseverance to follow it."

In other words, you won't make it to the IMAGINED FUTURE unless you actually imagine it, which means you have to walk the path--meaning you have to PAY ATTENTION. It's not essential to be at any kind of final destination to reap the benefits of your Imagined Future, you simply need to be pointed in the right direction, walking the Path.

Pay attention on your daily path to save your life's dreams, plans, your memories which make life so sweet, and to enjoy your Imagined Future.