Definition: able to think clearly and act quickly and intelligently <especially in an emergency>; cool, alert, and ready under pressure; quick-witted
Compatible Qualities: creative, risible
Comment: Presence of mind is a quality of “practical smarts.” It includes flexibility and ready retrieval of information. But it is also the ability to put things together in new ways. In addition, it implies a sense of timing, with an appreciation of the subtlety of what others perceive.
Suggestion: Recognize, in the present, what effect your actions are having upon the situation, and then act accordingly.
(PRESENT)
Definition: being, existing, or occurring at this time; now; current
Proverb: Look to this day for tomorrow is but a vision and yesterday a dream. — Sanskrit
Quotes:
• Remember, be here now. — Baba Ram Das [born Richard Alpert] (1931-) American Spiritual Teacher
Note: In times of maximum cosmic exposure we humans can share in the Comic Now. Only then do we begin to see how truly immense it all is.
• Consider that this day will never dawn again. — Dante [born Durante degli Alighieri] (c. 1265-1321) Italian Poet
• The past and the future are the gift wrapping for the present. — Jerry Downs (1949-) American Truth-seeker
• I shall tell you a great secret, my friend. Do not wait for the last judgment, it takes place every day. — Albert Camus (1913-1960) French Algerian Philosopher
• [Dorothy:] If you can’t find what you are looking for right where you are then you can’t find it anywhere. — L. Frank Baum (1856-1919) The Wonderful Wizard of Oz {1900}
• When you bless it, you can own it. Our eye is how God sees the world. Our hand is how God holds the world. Our job is simply to be. — Jerry Downs (1949-) and Joe Burull (1947-) American Photographers
• What you do in the present creates the future. So, keep your thoughts on the positive side, think about the best that could happen, think about the good things you want to happen. — Peace Pilgrim [born Mildred Lisette Norman] (1908-1981) Steps Toward Inner Peace {2021}
Comment: Life is a series of minute, connected, and correcting steps. This moment’s actions are connected to the previous, and the next with the quantity and the quality of consciousness. One’s conscious actions, intentions, and experiences have an effect on both your future and the larger pool of consciousness.