Lesson 3: Live your life in the present time

Living far away from your once 24/7 peer has its own challenges. In my case, the issue lies not in the communication that should be maintained between them and me, but rather the communication that should be built with my current surroundings.

I live in this place, thousands of miles away from them. My body is in this city at this exact time, but my soul is elsewhere, wandering in time and place, with the once-my-24/7-comfort people.

While staying updated with one another implies a good bond between us, the bond has yet to be built with my new environment.

I got disconnected from my own presence and lost in time and space; I am not in the present, but I am also not in the past with my peer.

Each of our lives keeps moving forward; time keeps circling as it always has, but I cannot fully comprehend what has passed and what should be felt throughout it. My mind keeps checking on the things I have left, while my body moves on its own to complete the tasks currently underway. My body is doing things, but my mind isn’t.

As someone who loves to share silly deeds with her comfort people, I have been spending too much of my time on my phone ever since I parted ways with my peer. Craving updates from my hometown, regularly checking updates on social media, and deliberately sending my long-distance friends messages and pictures of unsolicited matters. I want them to know that I still exist, and so do they in my life.

Unconsciously, too much time is lost between me and my current environment. I initially thought this was just my poor social skills, which left me barely knowing people or my surroundings. Turns out it was just me unconsciously disconnecting myself.

The moment I became conscious of this disconnection, the feeling was somewhat awkward. It felt as if your soul and mind re-entered your body, and you found yourself having to relearn everything about your new environment, despite the months you had spent there. You began to notice the people who had been just background for you, and somehow, they began to notice your presence too. You began to listen to the soft sound you once ignored because you prioritise the sound from Instagram reels, and your voice somehow got heard.

Suddenly, everything began to take its form and make sense again. You get this little spark of "enough"-feeling enough with your present time, with what God has given you and allowed you to experience. Some worries remain, yet more than half of you is returning to your physical body. Your senses begin to absorb all the energy from your surroundings and to make the life you were supposed to start months ago.

What makes living in the present time fundamental to your soul and mind stability is the reminder of gratitude. Being present can lead you to see and experience your world with every part of you, and acknowledge all the efforts you have put in until you become the current version of you at exactly the right place and the right time.

Every new piece of the puzzle begins to find its place, forming the picture of your current life.

You are here; your body is here. Let your mind be with it and experience the life you are supposed to have. Those you left will keep their lives rolling forward, and so you have to keep yours rolling too.