Young woman sitting on dock in front of bridge

POEMS BY RACHEL MILLER: The Only Moment You Are Alive and more

The Only Moment You Are Alive

We long to be everywhere but here.
We want to imagine that we will be happier
doing that thing, not this.
We delude ourselves into thinking
that at least then, we’ll be happy.
But what’s perplexing is this:
We never come to recognize, when we get there,
that we’re still not happy—not really.
We keep pushing along, from one thing to the next,
all the while hoping the next thing will be it—
the thing to make us happy,
all the while deluded
into thinking
that happiness is a place, a thing—a feeling.
If only we could sit with our thoughts for just a moment,
we’d experience the peace of being still,
happiness found in experiencing life
one moment at a time.

But that’s much too simple, too hard to accept.
So we complicate things,
assuming once again
that it’s “us”—our doing—making us unhappy.
“We’re not doing it right,” we think, “we’re doing it wrong.”
But it’s not us,
it’s our restless mind and being;
our inability
to sit still with our thoughts;
our false assumption
that we must be more, do more
differently;
our misconstrued thinking
that things will make us happy,
when really, we need only
to do less, but more
thinking and breathing,
experiencing life
in the very moment we’re living.
Because this is the moment,
the only moment
you are alive.

Enjoy The Process

Every moment is an opportunity to start anew
to transform disappointment into enjoyment
to smile at discomfort
knowing it’s momentary
knowing it’s rooted in that childlike part of you
who is always waiting,
wondering, “When will we get there?”
You smile, knowing we’ll never arrive, really.
But where we are is where we want to be
and where we are is where we fit perfectly
on this journey.

And though we still notice our faults, the things we want to change,
we know we can’t change them instantly.
But our simple awareness of them and our ability
to see ourselves as we are and want to be
means we’re partway there.
And that’s why we smile.
Not because it’s pleasant, but because it’s part of the same routine that will continue
as long as we breathe:
Impatience. Wanting. Unhappy. Notice. Change.
Still wanting.
And that’s OK. It’s familiar.
The only task required of you is to
gently remind this small child of your mind
that though you can’t see it, looking back, you always find
you’re exactly at the right place, doing the right thing, at the perfect time.

Change and Quiet Joy

Change, this painful process
that we all must pass
through,
like animals do.
Evolving, slowly
passing through this barrier of time and evolution.
And you don’t see it at the time,
but this pain, this struggle
is growth—it’s powerful.
It will lead you to something better, broader, brighter
than your current state—it will lead to
change.
Desired change.
Looking back, you’ll see
it was all worth it, all this time,
like an animal breaking through
the membrane, the pain,
breaking past the comfort
of safety
into the unknown.
It’s a place all along that you want to go—
better than here—
but the fears, the unknowns, hold you back.
And once you are free, broken free to the other side,
you find
it’s in this place that you’ve wanted to be all this time.
It’s here that you’re safe, more equipped and strong.
The pain was worth it all along.

«RELATED READ» THE TIMELESS MOMENT: 2 dialogues and a poem about thoughts, existence and death»


image: Pixabay

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *