The other day a random thought popped up: What if I suddenly woke up and my entire life had never really happened? What if it was…just a dream.

This is not a new idea of course. As the song goes ‘life is but a dream.’ Even Shakespeare said ‘All the world’s a stage. And all the men and women are merely players.’

But truth has great timing and I felt its presence in my heart as the thought swirled around my head.

It was a reminder that the past has gone and only the memories exist in my mind.

It showed me that I create my life in this moment because I am awake.

When I was asleep, well that’s fair enough, no one can be expected to take charge when they are unconscious. How could they? I couldn’t. Jesus said; ‘They know not what they do.’

And yes, I go back to sleep from time to time, as most of us do, I recognise that and hold compassion for my sleeping self.

I also know my story IS important because it is the unique circumstances through which my soul incarnated to experience this life and ultimately awaken from.

My experiences matter because they provide the journey and the wisdom and the bridge to other people.

My life has not gone the way I wished and I hold compassion for that pain. To devalue it would be an act against the self.

But I am here. Life is now. It isn’t thirty years ago, a decade ago or even five minutes ago. Time is not an objective reality.

The night after having that profound thought I woke up from a dream with the song ‘Time Warp’ in my head. As most people probably know, it comes from the opera ‘Rocky Horror Show.’

How ironic! I could say my life has been its own kind of horror show. Some people would feel that modern society, or even life on this planet, is the same. Suffering is abound. No one can escape it….or can they?

It is so often said that the power is in the present. It doesn’t mean any past or present suffering suddenly disappears, although in some cases it does, especially if the suffering is internal rather than the result of external circumstances.

But on waking up, suffering is less, even if pain is more. There is no longer the clinging onto memories or perceptions as a way of being in the world. Instead it’s about being present to what is happening now, even if emotions or circumstances or both are utterly awful, and knowing all that exists is now and what needs dealing with is now.

That thought came into my head as a reminder that every single day I can wake up and know the past is done. Yes it hurt. I value what WAS, but it don’t allow it to change what IS.

*Image from quotefancy.com