sometimes i may forget

but truly, berkeley is beautiful. as i drove back from dropping a off at a friend's place, i allowed the sunshine and the fall colors to sink in. yeah, the streets may not be beautiful as bowdoin, but they have a very special character. the leaves have turned all colors from shades of green to yellow, orange, and red. the sunshine and the shadows it left offered a breath-taking view on this barely-10-minute drive. i am grateful to be here - in this place, at this moment in time.

as i drove, i also pondered over the power of now. humans have free will, yes, and the choice to act as we believe, according to our innermost voice. but we are limited by the fact that this action may only take place in the now, the very present moment. yet, at every moment we think so of the past that we cannot change and of the future we cannot foresee. because they matter to us so much, because we simply cannot stop thinking about them in frequent moments of weakness, we should really, deeply, think about our present and all we can do today to ensure that tomorrow we will not regret this day. and maybe when we start to do that, then we can build in ourselves the confidence that tomorrow we will not regret it, because we know we do the best we can now.

of course, we all know this is true. a countless philosophers have said this over and over again. kabir's words come to mind as well. but i am really struggling to internalize this process these days. to really understand that life is equally about introspection as it is about informed action. we must think, and we must act, but most importantly, we must unify these processes so that one may not be separated from the other. so that in our thoughts is defined our action, and in our action are reflected our thoughts.