Balfour Mount quotes Phil Simmons …
The thing itself, like the predawn moment, is always new when we are truly present to it. I would concur with Phil:
“More and more I find that dwelling in the present moment, in the face of everything that would call us out of it, is our highest spiritual discipline. More boldly, I would say that our very presentness is our salvation; the present moment, entered into fully is our gateway to eternal life. Now when I say this you could accuse me of being a mystic, . . . but my mysticism does not involve access to other realms, only the deeper experience of this one.” (Simmons, Learning to Fall: The Blessings of an Imperfect Life. 2002)
It is in being fully present, without expectations of outcome, that the freedom Phil writes about becomes a source of healing.
from Balfour Mount’s article … The Existential Moment … Palliative and Supportive Care … 1:93-96; 2003.