Christmas Present

It's that time of the year again. December has come and with it all the joys of Christmas. But what is the real meaning of Christmas? Is it the gifts under the tree, the lights in the windows, the cards on the wall, sumptuous dinners with family and friends and shouts of 'Merry Christmas' to one another? Is this really Christmas?

For some people, Christmas is all of the above but for others it’s a time of sorrow. Christmas reminds them of unhappy events – events that they choose to relive every Christmas. I used to belong to the latter group. It was during this festive season some years back that my life came apart.

I used to work very hard for my future but I did it at the expense of my health and marriage. One moment I was trudging for the future, the next moment I was moaning the past. I had totally ignored the present. In my pursuit of a better tomorrow, I had overlooked the present. I took things for granted and neglected my loved ones and paid heavily for it. When I dwelled on the past, I once again bypassed the present. It was much later that I discovered the importance of living in the present. I've since acquired a whole new perpective about life and is now a firm believer and an active advocator of living in the present. The renew mindset not only makes me more aware of what is happening around me and what I am doing but also what I am feeling and thinking. I learn to appreciate what I have and to cherish everyone close to me. Living in the present has made me a happier and more contented person.

What happens then when we continue to live in the past? Well, if your past experiences were pleasant and positive, that is how you are going to think about your future. If the experiences were unpleasant and negative, that is how you are going to visualise your future. It is always the past that is recreating our future.

You will probably think about what someone told you, how someone treated you, how you did this or that. It is always about the past. You are allowing the past to control you and to influence your behaviour. Reliving the past is recreating it constantly. You are not letting change enter your life. It is all right to recreate the past if it was pleasant, but why repeat it in your mind if it was unpleasant?

We are usually unaware of the process of thinking that is going on in our heads. We repeat the same thoughts out of habit. They come and we do not resist them. We welcome them even if they are unpleasant. We get used to our thoughts and habits, even if we do not admit it. In this way they become stronger and more powerful. As our minds recreate our past, we find that the present is always the mirror of the past. Then nothing new happens and we complain that life is always the same and that nothing changes. Weird, foolish, tragic and funny at the same time, isn't it?

Do you know how many opportunities are missed due to our dwelling on the past, instead of seeing and being conscious of what is happening at the present moment? When our mind is elsewhere we behave like robots and we repeat the same mistakes of the past, do the same things, and then complain that our life is dull and uninteresting.

Thus, for those who are still loitering in the past, it’s time to move forward to the present and to appreciate and cherish what you have before you lose them.

Remember, the present moment is very brief. It always turns immediately into the past. The future has not happened. Live in the present, enjoy your present and give yourself a great Christmas present!