Comparing Now to Then

Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today I'm going to talk about this tendency to compare our past memories with how things are in the present. Now I'm sure that most of us have a memory of a time that was just golden. You know, maybe it was a really special date or a romantic moment with your partner or a peak moment of achievement. A time when you looked younger, had more energy or a moment of just total bliss on a holiday or an a mountaintop.

So, often when we reflect on past memories, we compare them to how our life is today and how it's not quite measuring up to the images of the past in our minds. For instance, there's been times in my life where I've compared my relationship to the way it was back when we first got together. And then I felt a sense of deficiency for how things were in the present. I became dissatisfied with the way things were in the present like there was something wrong. So we also tend to do this with meditation.

We may have had a very pleasant experience in meditation in the past, perhaps feelings of deep, calm, or even sacredness. And then we tend to start comparing every meditation to that one and feel like something's gone wrong. We can't get back there into that state we remember. So it's really important to remind ourselves that getting into some particular state, no matter how pleasant or sacred, is not the goal of mindfulness practice. Mindfulness is really about allowing ourselves to come to our present moment experience with fresh eyes, with an attitude of warmth, acceptance, and curiosity.

We're really only able to be fully present with this fresh, new moment when we can let go of comparing it to a past one. We're aiming to live the experience of this moment as if it was the very first time. To lean into every sight and sound wholeheartedly, allowing it to be just as it is and appreciating it. So the next time you find yourself comparing the past to how things are now, see if you can let go of the memories from the past so that you can be fully present to have your magic moment in the now. As always, thank you for your practice and your presence here with us.

And let's settle in now for today's meditation.