I have spent enough time thinking about life to realize something that should probably be obvious:

Life is happening right now.

Not yesterday.

Not when everything finally falls into place.

Not when we become the person we think we’re supposed to be.

Right now.

And when I think about being truly present, I think about surfing.

Sitting Beyond the Breaking Waves

I started surfing and exploring the ocean in the early 1980s.

Decades later, the feeling is still the same.

There is that moment sitting behind the breaking waves, waiting for the next set.

The sun reflects off the water.

The gulls are making noise.

The beach is behind you.

For a few minutes, there is nowhere else to be.

Then a wave comes.

And you paddle.

You don’t control the ocean.

You don’t know exactly what the wave will do.

You don’t need to be the best surfer in the water.

You become part of the wave for a brief moment.

And then it is gone.

The ocean doesn’t care if I’m a good surfer.

It is simply there, doing its thing.

And so am I.

That is presence.

How Often Are We Somewhere Else?

We spend so much of our lives somewhere else.

Thinking about yesterday.

Worrying about tomorrow.

Looking at our phones.

Working.

Planning.

Studying.

Trying to improve ourselves.

Trying to become something we think we are supposed to become.

And while we’re busy doing all of that, the seconds and minutes keep passing.

We don’t get them back.

That’s a hard sentence.

But I don’t think it has to be a sad one.

Maybe it’s a reminder.

This Moment Has an Expiration Date

The sunset ends.

The wave ends.

The conversation ends.

The child grows up.

Our bodies change.

People we love change.

We change.

That is impermanence.

It isn’t necessarily something to fear.

It may actually be one of the greatest reasons to pay attention.

If the sunset lasted forever, would we stop to watch it?

If our children stayed little forever, would those ordinary afternoons mean quite as much?

If every conversation could simply be continued tomorrow, would we listen as closely today?

Knowing something will end gives the moment weight.

It makes right now matter.

Stop Trying to Hold Onto Everything

We take pictures.

We shoot video.

We post.

We save.

We document.

And there’s nothing wrong with any of that.

But sometimes I wonder if we’re so busy trying to capture the moment that we forget to actually be in it.

A photograph can remind you of a sunset.

It isn’t the sunset.

A video can show you the wave.

It isn’t the feeling of standing up on the board and moving with it.

A picture can freeze someone’s smile.

It can’t recreate exactly how you felt sitting across from them.

Some things aren’t meant to be kept.

They’re meant to be experienced.

You Don’t Have to Be Good at the Moment

That’s another thing the ocean keeps teaching me.

I don’t have to be the best surfer in the water to enjoy being there.

Think about how much of our lives we postpone because we think we aren’t ready.

I’ll do it when I’m better.

When I’m healthier.

When I lose weight.

When I have more money.

When I’m less busy.

When I’m more confident.

When I’m good enough.

Maybe we’re asking the wrong question.

What if we stopped asking whether we’re good enough for the experience and simply allowed ourselves to experience it?

The ocean doesn’t care.

The sunset doesn’t care.

The trail doesn’t care.

Your yoga mat doesn’t care.

Life isn’t grading you.

It’s happening.

Maybe This Is the Goal

Maybe the goal isn’t to create a perfect life.

Maybe it isn’t about squeezing every possible accomplishment into the years we’re given.

Maybe we don’t need to optimize every minute.

Maybe it is much simpler than that.

Become present enough to notice the life you already have.

Sit with someone you love and actually listen.

Eat something wonderful and actually taste it.

Walk outside and leave the phone behind.

Feel the sun.

Hear the birds.

Watch your children play.

Sit behind the breaking waves and wait.

And when your wave comes…

Paddle.

Because the perfect moment cannot be captured.

It can only be experienced.

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Where Is Your Heart?