Do it today!

Today is all we’ve got. The past is gone and we may not have a future. All we ever have is now. This moment. Let’s live in this moment. I’m thankful for this fleeting second. That I exist. That I live. That I breathe. That I express. I’m thankful for music and birdsong, for language and technology, for my wife and son and daughter. I’m grateful for this moment, for this transitory opportunity to ground myself and come into the present. Today is full of possibility. Today, we can create. We can express. We choose. We decide. We create ourselves anew. We are masters of our fate. We choose our thoughts and, so choosing, make a heaven of hell or a hell of heaven. Let us also be thankful for ourselves, and not be shy about it. Let us be ourselves today. Be different. Imagine if you had died already (death will come far quicker than any of us realize) and you were given an opportunity to come back and live just one more day. What would you do? Do it today!

Now

A friend of mine has ‘NOW’ written in large letters on the face of his watch. What time is it? It’s now. What year is it? It’s now. When will I be happy? Now. When will I choose my thoughts? Now.

It’s all we have. Just this moment. The past is gone. The future never comes. There is just this moment.

I’ve finished my book. After a very long time. Finally. Sure, there may be some tweaks to be done to it. It’s the hardest job of work I’ve ever had to do – harder than a degree. OK, not as hard are leaving religious life – that was the hardest thing I ever did. But professionally, it’s the most arduous journey I’ve taken. I’m very proud of the result; and a little scared too.

I’ve just finished reading Charles Dickens: a life by Claire Tomalin. It’s a brilliant book: I loved it and highly recommend it, especially to writers.

I’m delighted that President Michael D. Higgins will be presenting the Irish PEN Award to Joseph O’Connor in February.

As the new year begins, I’ve been cycling quite a bit. I did an hour and three-quarters today – not sure how far I travelled as the mileometer needs to be re-calibrated after I inserted a new battery. The day before yesterday it provided dodgy readings.

I’m doing a detox during January after the excesses of the Christmas. There’s a time for feasting and a time for fasting – well, detoxing.

If anyone out there wants a copy of the book I did a few years ago on how to stop smoking, they can get a copy at www.writeway2stopsmoking.com.

Let’s all have a happy new year. Enjoy each moment. Live in the now. Let’s all be thankful for all we have and for all we are – now!