Five Minute Friday - Present

Not too long ago I had a conversation with a friend and said that I have a tendency to edit my words a lot. In writing, you can edit, delete the bits that don't sound good, add pieces to make it more coherent. But very rarely do I write exactly what I think, no edits.
So, when I found 5 minute Friday's - where you write for 5 minutes, unedited, about the topic given, I thought I'd give it a try.
So here it is, my first ever five minute Friday. If you want, feel free to join in and give it a try.
Today her topic was present, so here we go...



Present...
I'm not really sure what to say about this word, which is how I knew this entry would start.
The word present reminds me of a gift under a tree, all wrapped up in paper and bows. But it also reminds me of something else. That place between the past and the future. The right now.
The present is the stormy clouds outside my window and the carpet under my bare feet. The present is my fingers clicking on the keyboards, being vulnerable and writing words without editing. This is the present.
The present is happening in this moment, and yes, it is a gift. It is something I could easily look over if I blinked in the wrong second. I could miss this wonderful gift of a moment I have been given.
I could miss the way eyes sparkle in the sunlight and fingertips touch as items are exchanged. I could miss the present, the gift. If I am so focused on the future, on this other place, this other reality I think I should be living in, I can miss the one right in front of me.
There is no reality, no present, other than the one I am in. And if I spend all my time wishing I was somewhere else, wishing for the past or the future, I can miss the time I have right in front of me.
Because the present is all I am guaranteed. The present is all I am given. And the present is a gift. It isn't wrapped up in pretty paper but it is tied together with beautiful things, things like sun beams and the way the light falls on sparkling eyes and the communion and the touch between two people.
This is the present I could miss if I looked away.
This is the present that is a gift.
This is my present, the life I am living right now, the reality I am a part of.

And... STOP!

So there it is, my first five minute Friday. Feel free to join in, I would love to know what you think about the present.