Some years ago I wrote Dance! There’s No Tomorrow!  I like the post – it’s all about Dance.  Dancing brightens our lives, and I’m pleased to report that I’ve begun taking a few dance classes recently, such a blessing for body, mind and spirit.  I wrote the post in the spring.  We are coming up to All Saint’s Day, and it’s still true: dancing is wonderful and today is all there is!  What would it mean if we really grokked the essence of this moment?

The suggestion has come my way recently to think about all the things I’ve stashed away for some special occasion — a bottle of special wine or candles, a beautiful dress, antique china…  What are some special items you have set aside for a better time than right now?  What about taking them out of their hiding places and putting them to use today, tonight, just because you are alive now to enjoy them, and that’s a cause for a celebration :-).

Today is it! One of our favourite mugs shows two monks on their cushions.  A wrinkled old one, and a much younger one.  Here they are:  

The old one says, “Nothing happens next. This is it!”

What would we be doing with our one wild and precious life (Mary Oliver), if we got the message? Today is it!  What does this mean for us, if we let it sink in?

Check out these glorious Japanese Red Maples Dancing in the breeze, they are right here in our neighbourhood.  In the fall, before the dark and quiet of winter.  These explosions of crimson open my heart and make it sing — and I gladden when I take in these moments of simple pleasure as an opportunity for celebration.  Right here, right now.  Today is it!

Jill Schroder is the author of BECOMING: Journeying Toward Authenticity.  BECOMING is an invitation for self-reflection, and to mine our memorable moments for insights, meaning, and growth.  Check the website for a sample chapter, or see the reviews to get a flavor for the volume.  Follow me on Twitter, let’s be friends on Facebook