Past, present, future - Don't worry; Be happy

Past, present, future: all parts of our lives.

The past is part of our story sometimes painful, sometimes precious, sometimes better left unremembered, sometimes providing valuable understandings and wisdom.

The present is getting lost in the here and now, the real deal, being aware of current experience. Some say, the present is all there is, be here now, you can't live in the past, but that's just not true. We are conscious human beings with memories, and hopes.

The future is yet to come. We live best when we are hopeful, have dreams, wishes, aspirations. This yearning often gives our lives their meaning and keeps us going especially in tough times.

Past, present, future, all three perspectives make up life. All three perspectives enrich us and each other.

Matthew 6: 25-34

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life[b]?

28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The Tao of Jesus seems to be "Don't worry" or as Bobby McFerrin sang in his great song, "Don't worry, be happy!"

Time is not real. The all is all all at once. We only break it up in chunks to apprehend it. We have to take the good with the bad, the beautiful and ugly, the pleasurable and the painful, the past, present, and future, all as part of the same great Tao.

The third principle/value of Unitarian Universalism is the "Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations." When people are in a state of acceptance sometimes they describe it as "time stood still" or "time seemed to fly by" or "where did all the time go?"

Don't Worry, Be Happy by Bobby McFerrin lip synced by Nature's Sunshine Employees in the mid-80s, video lasts about 5 minutes and made me smile.