May's Theme is Now

Our May theme is Now, chosen by our Buffalo chapter, illustrated by Mizin Shin, and presented by Mailchimp.

These days, the “nows” hurry past us, shoved aside by the “next” — the urgent to-do’s, the latest breaking news. Constantly anticipating and staging for our future decimates our experience of the present. Our “now” vanishes, like water flowing through our fingertips.

We cannot keep time from spilling out of our hands and into the soft earth below. It is not our task to master the present, but to savor it. To pause. Go still. Feel the air on the back of our necks, sit in both discomfort and pleasure, and marvel at the radiance of the present moment. So that we may, in the poet William Blake’s words, “Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand / And Eternity in an hour.” For all we ever have is now.

We turned it over to you: What comes to mind when you hear the word “now”? What speaks to the current moment for you? How have you found ways to relate to the present as time passes? And wow! Your poems, music, book recommendations, and experiments in risk-taking blew us away.

Here’s what you shared:

⏳ A Syllabus for Now

The first guest I interviewed for my podcast, beauty tech founder Heidi Johansen, shared a poem she wrote called “Black Sun.” Set against the mesmerizing Sort sol, or a murmuration of birds in Denmark, it’s an ode to being present. - Keva Epale

For Eastern Europe, NOW = PAIN, but such songs give that pain a sweetish flavor of hope. - Kseniya Parfianiuk

Sanders Summer Camp was our family’s response to the cultural pressure around us. It was a way to slow the rush and create space for good things to happen. It wasn’t a real camp, it was a way our family used the summer to tell a different story. - Bonnie Sanders

The theme of Now reminded me of this song by Zedd. - Sunayana

The book How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self by psychologist Nicole LePera is a simple yet groundbreaking way of being present. - Ritika Arya

My jewelry line Camille Hempel Jewelry features a series of timepieces emblazoned with the word NOW. They’re timeless accessories, rooted in the past, as a reminder to BE PRESENT. - Camille Hempel

Royal Blood’s orchestral performance of “All We Have is Now” captures beautifully the impermanence of life and all the fears that plague us - from dying to where do we go to, to trusting in the unknown. It also bestows with the gift of the present and of each other because we are social creatures that crave the company of others. - Calina Matei

I want to feel like this again. - Joshua Krook

I totaled my car. It was my most visceral feeling of “now”. - Colette Pomerleau

I’m sharing Dorothy’s song “A Beautiful Life.” Music always helps me anchor myself in the present and enjoy myself in this great big “now”, although “the ups and downs are strange”. - Laura Șincă