The flower on the left could represent the past.  Shriveled up and all but gone.
And the one on the right…. the future.  Budding, not yet in full bloom.
Both are pretty big parts of the proverbial “Bouquet of Life”
But the fact of the matter is….. the only thing that truly exists is that little space in between the two.  And that….  would be the present.

Which in truth is where we spend ALL of our time.  In this moment.  Right now, right here.  In this place in time.

Sure …. that’s what Mr. Zen and Chicken Noodle Soup for Souls all say.  But let’s get down to brass tacks, dang it.

Now for me… I spend way too much time worrying about what happened to the shriveled up orange flower on the left.  And an equal amount of time worrying about what might happen to that not-yet-blooming purple flower on the right.

Oh… I know I SHOULD be there in between… stopping and smelling the roses and all that jazz.  And I TRY to do just that.

Be as it may…  I don’t.  Worry is my middle name.
Physically, I am here in the present.
Mentally, I am time-traveling as fast as I can petal.  And that’s the truth, bud.  So.  Before this topic stems into something totally different, I better cut it short.  Time for me to branch out…. and leaf.

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” – Buddha

“The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” – Albert Einstein