Hi, and welcome to your Daily Mindfulness. Today, I'm going to talk about the uniqueness of each moment. So you might have the sense when you wake up each day, that today is basically the same as yesterday. Or you look at your partner and assume it's basically the same person you've always known. Similarly, you feel each day that you're the same person you've always been.

You might sit on the banks of a river and think it's the same river that you've always seen. But what we often don't recognize is that you never see the same water twice. In the same way, you never live the same day twice. And every single day, we are changing, that our loved ones are changing. We're never the same people as the day before.

So as Heraclitus once said, "No man ever steps in the same river twice for it is not the same river and he is not the same man." So for many of us, we've really gotten used to a certain story in the mind about the way things are, the way we are, the way people are. And we get really fixed in that way of seeing things. And because we're fixed in that way of seeing things, it feels like it's the same person. It feels like it's the same day, the same river. But as we practice mindfulness, we really start to see the world beyond those fixed ideas and we see that actually there's a constant movement and flow to life.

Everything is constantly changing. Every single moment is unique, a unique constellation of thoughts and sounds and emotions, experiences. And each moment is unrepeatable, fleeting and precious. For instance, right now, this moment is totally different to any moment you've ever lived. This breath you're taking is a unique breath that will never be breathed again.

Each moment you spend with a loved one will be a one-time experience. In the same way as when we watch a river and we never see the same water twice, if we sit down in meditation, we also see that when we look for, even something so fundamental as our identity, all we see is a flowing stream of thoughts and sensations and emotions. We don't find a fixed self. So if we can bring this recognition that things are not so fixed into our lives, then all of a sudden we realize just how interesting, rich and miraculous life is. We start to really appreciate life, ourselves and others so much more deeply and really we find more freedom and peace of mind.

So today the invitation is to contemplate and recognize that each moment is always different and will only be lived once. And then see what effect this recognition has on your body, your mind, and your life. So as always, thank you for your practice and your presence here in this community. And let's settle in now for today's meditation.