Marcus Aurelius: Even if you lived for ages beyond…

The mind often travels away from the only time in which action is possible. It replays what should have happened, or rehearses a future that may never arrive. Reflection and planning have their place, but they become a theft when they prevent you from meeting the day in front of you. You cannot recover yesterday by punishing yourself, and you cannot secure tomorrow by worrying without end. Today, return to what is tangible: the conversation you are having, the task that needs care, the person beside you, the breath between one decision and the next. Give this moment your best attention, not because it will last, but because it is the portion of life available to use. A well-lived ordinary hour is not a minor thing.