We’ve just finished eating lunch. I looked at all the mess on the worktop and said to the kids:

“Will you help me tidy up? I’ve made hummus and aubergine spread, and I just feel like it’s too much for me to deal with all this mess on my own.”

“But Mum, you’re already exhausting yourself by saying that, because you’re thinking about the future,” my 12-year-old son said. Then he added, “I just look at the mess and I know that I need to clean it up, just like we do every day, and that’s it! It only takes a few seconds.”

My jaw dropped when I heard such wisdom coming from his mouth. Because it’s true! When we don’t let our minds run ahead into the future, we don’t tire ourselves out, get frustrated or feel overwhelmed. We simply accept what needs to be done in the present moment. And we move towards another moment, and another, and another… without losing our precious energy.