Rant Casey used to say, "No matter what happens, it's always now..." Talk about cryptic. I think what Rant meant was, we live in the present moment of reality, and no matter what's come before, no matter how much we loved a person or a dog, when it attacks us we'll react to that moment of danger.
Rant: The Oral Biography of Buster Casey (ed. Anchor, 2008) - ISBN: 9780307455598