The following was sent to me over the holidays by a young man whom I have also befriended over the years, like Nathan Ybanez & Erik Jensen, who is also currently incarcerated in the Colorado prison system. His name is Harley Q. Young and if you’d like to write to him (inmates are desperate for mail), please see his address after his post. Although it is no longer Christmas, what Harley writes about is the power of Now, something I myself have just recently awakened to. It is everyday food for action. I hope you will give what my good friend has to say a quick read and write to him and show your support for all the men & women incarcerated around the world who truly deserve a second chance.
The Christmas Present
We have all heard the saying, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” This doesn’t have to be true. Nevertheless, how many of us appreciate what we have right now, today, this moment? Are you mindful enough to know the good things you have? Can you see the good side of your hardest experiences and most trying situations? This year of all the presents and joys you receive, I hope you find the greatest gift of all.
Each moment and everyday is a gift. That’s why it is called “the present”. The present is living fully in the moment, which is not easily done. No one can give you the present, you must find it for yourself. To find the present think of specific times when you were happy and successful. These are occasions when we are fully engaged in what we are doing, our mind is not wandering, we are intent only on what is happening at that moment - we are happy.
Being in the present means focusing on what is happening RIGHT NOW. It means appreciating the gifts you are offered not only everyday, but each moment. The present is just that - the Present moment. Not thinking of what has happened to you in the past, and not feeling anxious about what might happen in the future. Stop carrying the past around with you everywhere. Do not constantly think of the future. Only two things can rob you of the joy of the present: your thoughts about the past, or your thoughts about the future. Focus on what is going on right now, find the good in everything, and build on that. May you find the Christmas present in your own life.
“Yesterday is no longer here, tomorrow has not yet arrived”
Harley Q. Young,
Inmate #124783
Sterling Correctional Facility
POB 6000
Sterling, CO 80751
