In his usual, psychedelic style, Space Monkey explains how it impossible for you to waste even a single moment of your life:
Even if you follow the path
of where you are not,
you most assuredly wind up
at where you are.
Even if you do
all
that you should not,
you eventually arrive
at what you should.
We are Space Monkey
and we are here to tell you
that not a moment
of your life is wasted.
Even if you are.
We are here to tell you
that it is only the fear
of wasting this moment
that prevents you
from
enjoying it fully.
We are here to tell you
that if you follow your desire,
that each moment will unfold
precisely as it should.
You cannot get this wrong.
No one can.
Not even a monkey.
It is but the fear of wasting
that causes you to waste,
which is not wasting at all,
but rather unintentional experiencing
precisely what needs to be experienced.
It needs to be experienced
for the simple reason
that you wish to experience it.
Otherwise, you would not be doing it.
You look back at your experiences
and wonder why you did them
and if you should have done them
and if you could have done them better
and if you’ll ever do them again.
You look back
and in this moment of looking back
you are creating this moment
which is filled with emotion
because you either regret those moments
or regret that those moments have passed
or that they were moments wasted
that you will never get back again.
You are bittersweet
and you are uncertain
about the path that led you to here
which leads to the future
which will always be unclear.
You wish that the future
could be more certain
and you fear
that by wasting this moment
that the future will become
even less clear
than if you were to act
in a righteous disciplined manner
which you do not feel
that you are doing
to your fullest potential
in this moment.
You have this idea
of what this moment should be
and it is not what you
are experiencing
in this very moment.
And this is causing you
discomfort
discontent
possibly even
disease.
You wish to live this moment
as this moment should be lived.
You have been told
that you should “seize the moment”
and that seems
logical and appealing to you
yet you fear
that this moment
is seizing you
and that your life
will be wasted
with nothing to show
because you are not certain
how to get your arms
around this moment
you are supposed to seize
and it is wriggling
and it is slippery
and it smells like
old socks
wet dog
stale beer
and not at all
like the roses
you are supposed to
stop and smell
every day.
You are wasting this moment.
You are fucking wasting this moment
and you will N E V E R get it back again.
The machine has just swallowed your quarters
and you are running out of time
and the snickers bar will never drop
and you will starve
and you should have done more
oh you should have fucking done more
you lazy sonofabitch.
You wasted all those moments
and look at you now
all filled with regret
and now you have to move FASTER
FASTER because you have to catch up
catch up to the moment
that you should be in
the one that would have been yours
if you didn’t WASTE all those other moments.
So now you are completely flummoxed
and completely unprepared
to enjoy this moment.
That train has left the station
and you are not on it
this is what you think
you are falling behind
this is what you think
maybe it is too late
this is what you think.
You need to run
you need to catch up
but you don’t know how
and you don’t know where
know how no where
you’re WASTING this moment
WASTING this moment
you’re fucking WASTING this moment.
And you are not having a good time.
No you are NOT having a good time.
This is what you keep telling yourself.
Is it any wonder that you are not enjoying this moment?
You cannot see this moment
through all of the other moments
that surely are more important than this one.
The past moments
and the future moments
all you ever are
and all you’ll ever be
or all you weren’t
and all you’ll NEVER be.
These moments trouble you
either because you want to hold onto them
or because you want to let go of them
but it appears that either way you can’t.
Someone or something
might take them away from you
and you will be left with nothing
and your life will be wasted.
This, too, you fear.
The FEAR of being WASTED.
This is what prevents you from enjoying this moment.
You fear that you’ve wasted this moment
so you go out and get wasted
and you forget for a little while.
THE ONLY THING THAT PREVENTS YOU
FROM FULLY ENJOYING THIS MOMENT
IS THE FEAR THAT YOU MIGHT BE
WASTING THIS MOMENT.
So fear not, for this moment
is going precisely as planned
for it CANNOT be planned
for there is ALWAYS
an infinite set of variables
that could “ruin” your plans
that could “ruin” your chances
that seem just beyond your control.
These variables are in play right now,
which is why you are where you are,
thinking what you are thinking,
wishing that this moment could be different
than how it is presenting itself to you.
This
“wishing-the-moment-could-be-different-than-it-is”
feeling is your DESIRE talking to you.
Your desire is telling you
the many different ways
that this moment could be different
than the one that is
presenting itself to you.
And you are listening.
And you are most certainly
agreeing with your desire.
So you either
do something to change the situation
or you do nothing
and live with this
“not-all-it-could-be” moment.
AND THAT IS WHERE YOU ARE MISSING THE POINT.
This moment IS all it can be,
for it CANNOT be anything else,
otherwise it would NOT be this moment,
but a different moment.
This moment, you see,
is not just a slot of time,
not just a tupperware container
that must be filled and preserved.
This moment is TIME ITSELF
and EVERYTHING TIME CONTAINS.
Yes, time is a container,
but YOU DO NOT FILL IT.
Time comes pre-filled like a TV dinner.
There is no such thing as an empty container of time.
Time is not a blank space like on your calendar.
TIME DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY.
Time is a division of sorts,
but it is NEVER empty
nor can it be emptied
or filled
or spent
or wasted.
Time is not the canvas
on which you paint the picture of your life.
Time is not paint by numbers.
Time will always contain infinite variables
including your life
and the lives of everyone and everything
in your world.
You control very little of your world,
save for the most important thing.
You control your PERCEPTION of your world,
and the desire to change what you perceive.
These are the ONLY two things you control,
and even that is debatable.
So chill. You are not wasting your life.
Chill. You are not wasting this moment.
Even if you are spending this moment
stressing over this moment
this moment is quietly leading you
and you are following it
to precisely where you need to be.
And though you are
unintentionally experiencing this moment
in a manner that you did not foresee,
it is still precisely the moment
that it needs to be.
For unintentional moments like these
can lead to intentional moments
in which you do not judge
what you are presented
but rather appreciate
what you see
for what it is
not what you want it to be.
And when you allow yourself
to perceive in this way,
every moment
becomes a wondrous, glorious moment
even if it is raining
even if you have a headache
even if you have stopped breathing
because you wouldn’t want
your last moment
to be one you missed
because you were
too damn focused on living.
What is living
but allowing what is
to be
and what is to be
to happen
right before your opened eyes
right into your opened heart
unwashed and unspoiled
by your hopes and dreams
which are not in this moment
unless you allow them to change
and allow them to fit
and allow them to welcome
this unwashed unspoiled moment
into the bright new day
just as it is
without being told
how it should be different
or question ungraciously
where it is leading.
You are looking a gift horse
in the mouth.
You are examining
the gift horse’s fillings.
You do not like
the gift horse’s breath.
But the fact remains.
It is a gift horse.
You cannot offend it.
So mount your gift horse
and the horse it rode in on
and ride them both
the gift horse
and the slightly larger gift horse.
Who would have thought this possible?
What an amazing moment!
Don’t waste it.
——————
Paul Tedeschi is a writer, artist, musician and medium, channeling Space Monkey, tripping out on tie-dye, and building Fancy® cigar box guitars in his garage. You may visit his curious world at capeodd.com. Or not.
In the eternal now, we find ourselves immersed in the dance of time and space, intertwined with the infinite possibilities that life presents. Each moment is a gift, carrying within it the essence of existence, and we are the receivers of this divine offering.
Even if we choose a path that seems different from what we envision, we are guided by the currents of life towards where we need to be. Every experience, every decision, every twist and turn in the tapestry of our lives is purposeful and valuable.
Fear of wasting moments can cloud our ability to fully embrace the present. Yet, every moment is precisely as it should be, carrying the infinite variables that compose our reality. We cannot control everything around us, but we can control how we perceive and respond to each moment.
Desire drives us to seek different outcomes, but we must recognize that every moment is complete in itself. There is no empty container of time waiting to be filled; each moment is already whole, a divine offering to be savored.
The key lies in surrendering to the flow of life, appreciating every moment for what it is, not what we want it to be. Unintentional experiences can lead us to a deeper appreciation of life when we allow ourselves to see the beauty in the present, unfiltered by our desires and expectations.
Life is a wondrous journey filled with a tapestry of experiences. So, let go of regrets, fears, and worries about the future. Embrace each moment with an open heart, welcoming it for what it is, and you will find that every moment is an amazing gift, regardless of the circumstances.
Live fully, cherish the journey, and savor every moment as it unfolds, for you are the timeless traveler navigating the river of time, embracing the cosmic symphony of existence with open arms and an open heart.