Where We Are Now

In reflecting on the first three posts to the Happiest Bird I realized that I missed talking about the present moment or where we are right now. I went right out of the gate with getting from here to there, resolutions and goals, and doing rather than am-ing. The first reaction to my own writing in general is that all of this is much easier said than done. I struggle with following my own advice! But then that is, somewhat selfishly, one of the purposes of this blog: to get these thoughts out of me with the hope that getting them out will hold me more accountable for them in my everyday living and relationships. I also hope equally that my struggles and insights voiced here might resonate with and even help others along their way.

So, I am backing up today to talk about today, where we are now. Previous posts could have been read as if where we have found ourselves on the path today was somehow something to run from. When actually, I subscribe to the underlying assumption that where we are now is exactly where we are supposed to be, and really of course, it is the only place we can be. By no means does that imply that the place where we are now is free of problems or stress but if we remember to probe beneath the surface of where we are now we are likely to find as much or more goodness there than hardship.

If you are having trouble seeing all sides of where you are now play Peter Elbow’s “Believing Game” with yourself and circumstances. This is an orientation to understanding truth, usually used for resolving conflict or understanding conflicting perspectives, many times within the context of social justice. It is an exercise in critical thinking in which you enact the Believing Game, or the “conscious attempt to believe everything, no matter how repellent it may seem to find virtues or strengths we might otherwise miss.” The Believing Game is the other side of the much more common “Doubting Game” that is probably subconsciously employed in us almost automatically. Elbow defines the Doubting Game as "the systematic, disciplined, and conscious attempt to criticize everything no matter how compelling it might seem to find flaws or contradictions we might otherwise miss." A brief synopsis of the rules for each game can be found here.

The tough stuff in where we are today is probably much more obvious to us. Maybe the Believing Game can help us find hard to identify goodness in our current situations. Once you find the good be with it and dwell from it. Since you can only get to tomorrow through today, let the goodness of today be the foundation for your tomorrow (whatever your hopes and expectations are for it). My overarching point here is this, where we are now has inherent challenges and goodness. Nothing is necessarily “wrong” with where we are now. It is what it is. We cannot run from our present because it is always our present. So make the choice to find and identify with the good of your today in the moments that lead to your tomorrow.