There are no guarentees.

My mom used to say, 'There are no guarantees, honey." when I used to call her about something (where I was worried about the outcome) like...the future, relationships, school, circumstances or various decisions I was making at the time.

And she's right.


There are no guarantees...with anything in life.

I can understand this...in theory. But sometimes it's hard not to be attached to an outcome that I want or am hoping for (in a given situation). It's very hard to give up that attachment.

Today, I'm reminded that living isn't so much about a particular outcome or the future. It's about here. Now. The present. This moment. This exact moment.

I'm finding this one hard today...yet I know that living intentionally is about enjoying THIS moment, without planning for tomorrow. Or next week...Next year...Or when I am 50!

I realize that I've lived much of my life for the future, which never really comes. While I'm pretty satisfied with my life, I do still struggle with planning too much for the future (at the expense of today) and in some situations, I'm very much attached to the outcome and "down the road" that I forget to live here. Now.


In the past couple months and better part of the past year, I've "shown up", lived more than ever, with intention, in the moment and with abandon. But it's still hard to do at times. Very hard. Sometimes, I think people come into our lives (and my life) to teach me one of those "life lessons" like this one...about living in the moment b/c there are no guarantees in life. None.

I don't even know who or where I'll be when I'm 50...so why am I even concerned about what happens that far away?

Tonight, I painted part of the laundry room at the hostel. Maybe I should just rewind my mind and worry less about what happens when I'm 50 and more about how the paint's drying.

I am attaching these photos here b/c I remember driving from Vancouver and seeing the tulip fields on the side of the highway. Living in the moment, I brought the car to an abrupt stop, turned in and took a few photos of the gorgeous flowers. These farmers didn't have any guarantee that the flowers would grow well or that the crop would not be damaged by hail or an early frost. They didn't ask for any guarantees. They gave up attachment to the outcome and simply showed up, tending to their crop every day....and look what happened! Wow!!

Oh...how I wish this life lesson in living intentioanlly was as easy as simply not using plastic bags any more...or de-cluttering my house!