Present

"Everyone has a past. Memories, both good and bad. And everyone looks ahead to the future. Some with hope, some with fear. But in order to fully be in harmony with the Force, you must learn to live in the present."

Poe watched as Rey talked to the small group of young children. They were her students. All of them were Force sensitive to some degree, but not all of them would become Jedi. However, Rey wasn't concerned with how many Jedi she could train, as she felt that even those with minimal awareness could benefit from her teaching. The more people that were receptive to their own natural bond with the Force the more balance there would be in the galaxy. Or so she hoped.

"I'm going to ask you to do a few things for me, but they aren't going to be physical things. I want you all to make yourselves as comfortable as possible. Don't sit with your legs scrunched up underneath you if you know they'll get sore after a while. Find a position you could fall asleep in." She paused, then gave them a wry smile. "But don't fall asleep!"

The children giggled, and Poe smiled as well. She was so good with them, he thought. There wasn't one kid here who didn't love her. Of course, he wasn't one to talk. He was hopelessly in love with her, too.

"Now, I want you all to close your eyes and take a deep breath." Poe had already done this exercise with Rey, so instead of doing as she asked, he watched the children, curious to see how they would handle this task. "Now, open your eyes and look around you. Really look. What do you see? Grass? Trees? Are the trees all the same? How are they different? Is the sun shining? Do the trees have shadows? Look at the sky. Do you see any clouds?"

Poe watched as the children looked about them, eyes wide, mouths open, expressions focused.

"Now that you're aware of your surroundings, it's time to look internally. Think about something you're grateful for." While she spoke, Rey looked toward him, as soft smile on her lips.

He winked at her.

Her smile grew, but she quickly collected herself and looked back at her students. "After you find something to be thankful for, I want you to think about something in your life that didn't go the way you wanted it to. Did you not get desert the other night, or get to stay up late? That book or toy you wanted, the one you didn't get. Do you feel that tension rising up inside you? That resentment? Push it away. Be as grateful for what you don't have as you are for what you do have. Learn to let go of how you think things should be and accept them for what they are. You cannot control everything that happens around you, no matter how powerful you are in the Force. Sometimes life is going to be different than how you want it to be, and you need to accept that."

Poe nodded to himself. It was a hard lesson to learn, but in order to create wise, selfless, and compassionate Jedi, these children needed to learn early how to focus on the now, not the 'what ifs.' He himself was still learning how to do this.

Rey was silent for a while, letting her students think about what she had said. Though he couldn't feel their emotions, he knew she could, and her relaxed expression told him she was sensing good things from these kids.

"Congratulations," she said softly to her class. "You all just learned how to meditate."

A few of the children smiled and glanced at each other. A couple of the younger ones looked at her with astonishment, as if they had just won a prize.

"Now, I want you all to do what we just did every day. You can either find a friend and do it together, or you can find a quiet place by yourself and do it alone. But I want you to spend a minimum of ten minutes every day meditating. Longer, if you can. And I think you will want to do it longer the more you do it." She stood from where she was sitting on the ground. "And I want you all to practice mindfulness all the time. Remind each other, if you have to. Focus on everything you do and try not to multitask. One thing at a time. There is no rush here. And if ever you are having trouble focusing or have any questions, please come talk to me or Finn."

She gave them another smile. "That's it for today. Go have lunch and take the rest of the afternoon for yourselves."

A happy gasp emanated from the kids. Most had come from strict school settings, so having an afternoon off was a treat, even when they enjoyed their current classwork. School was school.

What the children didn't know was that they were getting the rest if the day off because it was their teacher's wedding anniversary.

As the children scattered, heading off toward the mess or to the residential area where their families or guardians lived, Rey walked toward him.

"So, General," she said, her voice now far removed from the tone she used with the children. "What are your plans for the rest of the day?"

Poe opened his arms and she stepped right into them, bringing her own arms up around his neck.

"I have very special plans, Master Jedi," he told her, his own voice low and husky. "Plans where I fully intend to live in the present and focus on one thing at a time." He brought his lips to hers. "No rushing," he whispered.

"I'm glad to see you're so mindful," she breathed in return.

"I had an excellent teacher."