There is a lot to deal with in life. Time has a way of piling up, where seconds become minutes, minutes turn into hours, and hours stack up into years. All of those moments are spaces where events occur. Those events pile up like time does. The events of our lives pile up to become our past. The events that will happen live in a shadow of possibility that we recognize as the future. In every moment along the way, we have to be able to deal with all of it. Sometimes that can be overwhelming. Sometimes the past overwhelms us, sometimes the future, and sometimes it can be overwhelming simply to face the present. The present is where we need to deal.
Time has a constant quality as it moves in tune with nature’s cycles. Sunrises and sunsets are not scheduled to fill up the space of mornings and evenings, but they show up there each day. Our breathing and heartbeat track the moments in-between. Those kinds of things are so regular that we coordinate our lives around them. We can safely ignore every sunset and sunrise, even though when in the right place, at the right time, they are luminous, easy to spot, and often inspire a deep sense of wonder. It is natural to ignore our heartbeat, because it takes special equipment and/or special attention to observe it. We don’t need anything extra to notice our breathing. We can ignore it all we want, but whenever we need to, we can sense it and deal with whatever is happening in that moment.
When the moment feels overwhelming, when there is too much to to deal with, dealing with that is what we have to do in that moment. When, in that moment we are able to notice what is happening, bring our attention to our breath, and be present with all that is going on, then, we are dealing with it. In that moment, we can deal with everything.
It may feel like a raw deal to get the same old advice, “be present”, “pay attention to your breath”, as though it could really help you deal with all that you are actually dealing with in this moment, BUT, in this moment, if you bring your attention to your breath, immediately, you release tension affecting your breathing. By doing that, you have practiced dealing with the moment right in front of you with compassionate presence.
As you breathe and read and notice your breathing, you are effectively dealing with this moment. You are present and compassionately reading something trying to help yourself deal with things. As you read and rest your attention on your breath, you deal with everything right now, and you develop a skill that will help you deal with more difficult moments at other times.
Compassionately bringing your attention to your breath is a skill you can practice and use whether you are trying to deal with something or specifically trying not to deal with something. It is versatile that way.
Through every moment in your life, your breath and your heartbeat has been there for you. The sun has risen and set every day and, somehow, you have dealt with all of it, all the events, all of the moments in each of those days. As ambiguous as the future is, you can also be assured that you will deal with all of those moments too, when the time comes. How you deal with those moments, past and future, has everything to do with how you deal with this moment right in front of you.
In cloudy and clear skies, day and night, the Sun shines brightly, affecting every aspect of our lives here on Earth. It is luminous, visible, and easy to ignore. When you quiet your mind and turn your attention inward, you can notice your thoughts, notice your feelings, notice how you are breathing, sense your heartbeat, and as you do that, you may notice a luminous, invisible, expansive nature within. It is as bright as the Sun, but easier on the eyes. When you know that is there, you can ignore it like the Sun, but it will be there, tic, tic, tic, shining wherever you point it, helping you deal with everything.
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