The other day I was listening to comedians Bill Burr and Tom Pappa try to make sense out of life. Both openly spoke about what it was once like to be able to sit around smoking cigars while sipping on mind blowing Bourbon. But they've chosen to give it up. Their aging bodies were reacting differently. Then they got on the subject of learning how to be in the present. Tom said, "You can't do it all the time! You'd go insane. Yes being in the present for one or two minutes but to make it your entire day is impossible!" Which I totally agreed with while pondering a deeper what if moment. If the thought of living in the now comes across as your present defeat, what are you carrying that gives that source of energy more space? In my daily writing dated November 18, 2016 I took on that subject in the way of awareness. A local school faced closure. An inner city place of learning. It's always a battle for such locations. Always fighting for survival or being recognized for being the true leaders they are. In the writing I reacted to a prayer. For the next two pages all I spoke of was beyond. Look beyond where we are standing. Look beyond the reasons for closing the school and look into the eyes of these children. Look beyond your personal purpose and plan. Look beyond! We do that a lot. We leave what's happening in our present to put our hearts into something beyond. So much energy is spent on something that doesn't exist. When you return to this place called now and things don't feel right it's extremely difficult to find focus because your system has been locked in on whats beyond. As a martial artist I learned how important it is to be in control of your present. An extremely tough lifestyle. Tom Pappa was right. You go totally insane trying to be here. Mainly because nobody else is. Knowing you have control over awareness helps clear the journey of a past you can't change and why try to rewrite it? Not worth the time or effort. Especially since you need it in the present. Keep a tiny journal. Take notes. Document the little adventures. Eventually a series of dots on a map become a solid line in life.