There is nothing inherently distressing about this moment. It is not the moment itself that weighs on you; it is your resistance to it. The mind, ever calculating, ever analyzing, wants to mold each experience into something it can categorize: good, bad, right, wrong. But the moment itself? It simply is.
Michael Singer reminds us: “The moment in front of you is not bothering you. You are bothering yourself about the moment in front of you.”
Sit with that for a second.
If you’re anything like me, this is where your brain immediately shouts, “But what if the moment is objectively terrible?!” And that’s fair. I’ve had my share of life crises—some minor, some spectacular. And in one of those particularly dramatic moments, my brother Paul, who has had to endure many of my existential spirals, gently (but also very much fed up) suggested I read The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer.
At first, I resisted. Because, of course, I had decided that my suffering was special and that no book could possibly apply to my very unique ability to overthink my way into a meltdown. But eventually, I gave in, mostly because Paul would not stop bringing it up. And, surprise—it turned out to be exactly what I needed.
What if nothing is wrong? What if nothing needs fixing? What if the discomfort is not coming from what is happening, but from how you are holding it, gripping it, twisting it into something heavier than it needs to be?
We live most of our lives in the space between what is and what we think should be. This gap is where stress, anxiety, and suffering grow. The tension isn’t from reality; it’s from our resistance to it. And in that resistance, we create narratives that exhaust us.
But what if, instead of resisting, we allowed? What if we surrendered to the present moment, just as it is, without judgment?
Not everything needs to be controlled. Not every feeling needs an immediate resolution. Some moments are just meant to be lived, not solved.
The truth is, the moment does not ask for your suffering. It is your mind that insists upon it.
When we loosen our grip on control, we make space for peace. When we stop fighting the moment, we start flowing with it. And in that flow, we find a freedom we have been chasing all along.
So today, practice meeting life as it comes. Let go of the mental tug-of-war. Stand in this moment without resistance. And watch how much lighter it feels when you do.
-Michelle
