In the Moment

One time, my father-in-law, the Rebbe, was scheduled to travel from Leningrad to Moscow on secret business concerning his underground network. Such a journey was fraught with peril, especially because his movements were closely monitored by the communist authorities.

But when I entered his room shortly before his departure, I found him sitting in a state of utter calm, as if nothing urgent were on the horizon. When I expressed my amazement, the Rebbe explained: “You cannot add time to the day, but you can utilize the time you do have ‘successfully.’” When one is fully engaged in the moment—not distracted by that which came before, or that which will come after—then he is truly living and is able to utilize life’s potential to its fullest.