This is our time. With the changing of the calendar year it’s common for us to take the time to look back on the previous solar orbit, or look forward to our future. This is a great exercise, to look forward without dwelling on the past: as we make our way through this adventure called life. But, it think it’s even more important to consider our present….the now that we are existing in…today, right now. This is our time. The who, that we are has grown and become in such a way that we can experience the Universe around us….we are, in effect: a way for the Universe to know itself; and I know that sounds deep…but it isn’t. Consider that we, as human beings, are made of flesh and blood whose elemental construction has it’s origins in an enormous universal expansion that began 13.7 billion years ago…we are made of star dust…ever replenishing cells made of carbon atoms, hydrogen and oxygen that have through biology formed into the creatures we are today. Trillions upon Trillions of inanimate objects and animate lifeforms have existed before us, and ga-zillions of intelligently aware creatures will exists when we are gone; and time will move onward towards an inevitable state of inaction where the universe and all the matter that it ever created will come to a stop: and space will enlarge to a point where time has no meaning, and there will be no way for the universe to experience anything: it’s a depressing thought, this asymptotic heat death of everything that has ever been: when the universe reaches a temperature of absolute zero. So, this is our time: it’s a reason to celebrate. We are here, today: with a purpose to make the world just a little bit better than it was before we got here. It’s a pretty good purpose, and yes: while the far imagined future may lay waste to all we’ve done and accomplished physically: there is more to life and purpose than that we can touch and see, feel taste and smell. I’m not here to provide spoilers for the significance and importance of the purpose that even the eventual heat death of the universe can’t destroy: but I’ll ask you to think about that…think about your now, and how in 20 years, 30 years, 50 years from right now you might look back and wax nostalgically about the things you’ll do today. This is our time to live, to experience and to perform random acts of kindness as a way to make the world just a little…teenie…tiny bit better than it was before we got here. There’s an old Irish blessing and toast that I’ll leave you with, with sincere hope that we’ve left 2010 behind us, that we’ll have a wonderful 2011 and that we can all appreciate the gift of the present. “May your troubles be less, And your blessings be more. And nothing but happiness come through your door. “ LINKS: Alde Land Syne by J.E.L.L.i at http://www.jellimusic.com and by Mario Ajero at http://marioajero.blogspot.com