Stone Six

Be: Letting go of past hurts, disappointments, and abuses and letting go of future plans and expectations, I resolve to live in the present moment and simply be. Be present; be open; be available; be with Higher Self.

Another common expression for the concept conveyed in Step Six is mindfulness. Letting our past infiltrate our present moment can create unnecessary problems. By letting go of the past we are able to live fully in this moment. When we carry past baggage into the present moment we prevent ourselves from enjoying the things that are with us, around us, and within us.

Mindfulness has become a practice similar to mediation, contemplation, and prayer, and it can include elements of all three. Mind-fullness re-minds us in that it reshapes our minds. It rearranges our thoughts to give us a new mind, changing our thoughts from past ways of thinking and even future thinking to present-moment awareness. We can’t change the past — only our interpretation of events and feelings. Because of freewill choice, we can’t be certain of future events. But, we can see the value in this present moment, and we can remember to accept the experience of life no matter what it holds for us.

When I reflect on Stone Six, the image of someone meditating in a lotus position comes to mind. But, it doesn’t have to be like that. It is possible to develop this practice in the daily routines of our lives — as we drive our cars, shop for our food, attend our religious meetings, eat, sleep, and repeat — we can live each moment as if there was no past and no future, only this present moment.