Living in the present

“Because I don’t live in either my past or my future.  I’m interested only in the present.  If you can concentrate always on the present, you’ll be a happy man... Life will be a party for you, a grand festival, because life is the moment we’re living right now.” – Paul Coelho, The Alchemist

Sunrise in the Negev Desert, Israel

In February I went to Israel.  To say the experience was life changing is an understatement.  When I came home, it’s all I talked about – incessantly.  My friends would do parodies of me, starting their sentences with “In Israel…” in their best “Rachael voice.”  A few of my work friends even made up the nickname Is-Rachael. 

                                      

But to me, Israel was magic.  I’m not religious, but being in a place with so much history, the birthplace of so many of today’s modern religions, as well as the birthplace of my ancestors was so incredibly powerful.  The history, combined with the people I met on the trip, and the places we traveled to set off that same spark in my brain as the first time I went to Colorado. 

There is one moment of my trip that sticks out more than any others.  One moment that resonates more vividly.  A few days into our trip, we arrived at the Bedouin tents in the Negev Desert.  Later that evening, our tour guide, Avinoam, led us out into the desert in the complete darkness.  It was freezing that night, and so cloudy that we couldn’t see a single star in the sky.  He led us each into our own spot on the desert floor, far enough away from anyone else that there was no one in our peripheral vision. 

As he instructed us to lay in silence, Avinoam told us to think about where we were, in that moment.  “Forget about whatever is going on back home.  Whatever worries you have, whether it stems from a job, a relationship, bills, or school.  Forget it.  Be here. Be in this moment.  Know that you are in your homeland.  The homeland of your ancestors.  A place with thousands of years of history.  Appreciate where you are. Be here, and live in this moment.” 

And we laid there, on the desert floor, in complete silence.  I have no idea how long we were there.  If I had to guess I’d say somewhere between a half an hour and an hour.   And in that time, I can honestly say that my mind was clear.  The only thought that went through my head, over and over again: I’m so happy right now.

There is no other time in my life that I have been able to clear my mind, to live completely in the moment.  And laying on the floor of the Negev Desert, I wished that time could be suspended… that I could live in that moment forever. 

To me, Israel was magic, and I don’t think I’ve ever been as happy in my life as I was during the ten days of that trip.  I love everything about traveling - meeting new people, learning the history of a country, a place, seeing new sites, learning a new culture, how others live.  So before I left, I made another promise to myself: to stop delaying my dream.  I had the money saved.  I knew where I wanted to go.  The only thing I was waiting for was finding a partner to travel with.

In reality, though, there was no guarantee I’d ever find someone who was willing to drop their entire life and go to another continent for half a year. I had been waiting to find a partner since I began planning this trip four years ago.   So I promised myself, that no matter what, whether I found a travel partner or not, I would go to South America within one year.

But life has a way of working itself out.  "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it"1.   And though I didn't know it at the time, there was one more invaluable experience that Israel had brought me.

1. Paul Coelho, The Alchemist 


* And a very loving shout out and thank you to my friend Sam in Afghanistan for recommending The Alchemist.  I loved it.  A perfect book to read before traveling.