Human Time Travelers

Since I have entered the world of therapy and counseling I have been exploring the concept of “being present”. Through mindfulness and meditation we are encouraged to enjoy the moments we are in and the people we are with. But when did staying present become such a difficult concept?

At a conference I attended a few weeks ago I had the honor of hearing Tamara McCleary speak on this topic. She stated we are the only known beings who have the ability to time travel in our minds. We can travel back to the past and relive difficult moments and in the same breath jump forward to the future and imagine what our lives will be.

According to Tamara, we learned to time travel very early in life. Imagine a child opening a present on Christmas morning. They are almost always more intrigued by the packaging than the actual toy. We as adults encourage them to stop enjoying the simplicity of the box and pay attention to the lights and noises of the new object we have actually spent money on. Children will literally stop to the smell the flowers and we get on to them, encouraging them to hurry up because we have to get to the next practice or appointment.

As a counselor I always encourage my parents to be realistic. I am not asking you to be late to school every day or cancel any extracurricular activities so that we can focus on being present. However, I would like to encourage you to take those moments when you can. When your child lies down on the sidewalk to watch a bug crawl, join them. Stop what you’re doing and enjoy the wonder of the world through your child’s eyes. I guarantee it looks better that way.

**Tamara McCleary is a Colorado based expert on relationships and conscious business. Check her out at