Buddha
Do you take the time to stop and smell the roses when it would be easier to focus on the doom and gloom? Do you spend some or a lot of your time dwelling on parts of your history that you simply cannot change no matter how much you focus. "I never should have said that her--it's my fault. I wish I could take it back" "If only I would have controlled my temper, we would still be together." "Why did they treat me that way; it just wasn't fair and look what it has done to me." No doubt there is purpose in looking back as a way to reflect on the good times, consider lessons learned, and remember those who have benefitted our lives. Still, there is little value in perpetually dwelling on things that haunt us that we can't change. Endlessly hashing and rehashing events we lived through or decisions we made that we want to erase is almost always a fruitless exercise. We cannot change the past! God cannot change the past! Accepting that reality, really accepting and living it, is one an important step toward living more fully now.
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| A moment I will never forget at the Jefferson Memorial with my son after a long jog in the sun. |
In similar fashion, do you spend inordinate amounts of your time focused on the future to the extent that the present suffers? "I don't have time to play ball with my son now because I need to get that project done for my boss so I can get that raise." "I have to keep working hard so that I can retire and then finally travel." Yes, we need to look ahead and work the best we can to align our best selves with our ideal selves and to meet our worthy goals, as I discussed in a prior comment. The challenge is, though, that some of life's most precious moments are happening right under our noses and we often miss them because we bury the now in the past and future. If we can become better at soaking or basking in the wonderful moments that are happining our lives today, or right now, we will enrich our experience and being. When learn the skill of seizing the moment, we will discover there is no time like now. True, sometimes we live in pain or go through difficult challenges. It is in such hard times that our ability to find joy in simple things can be most important.
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| Abraham Lincoln's Birthplace State Park in Kentucky where I relished the moment. |
As a way to offset or counterbalance the burdens we carry in the past and look for all answers in the idealistic future, why not also more intently and routinely really focus your attention on living in this unique moment. When you are living and breathing in this instance, why not make a habit of regularly taking in the "right now" as if there was no yesterday or tomorrow. I am not suggesting that you let go of your inhibitions or ignore who you are, I am simply saying that as you live your life you need to learn to zoom in on the here and now's in your life. Capture and create lasting memories. Sit down and really look at that sunset, enjoy that juicy piece of watermelon, relish a conversation or a warm embrace with a loved one like nothing else exists. Such moments can get you through life's bumps and give you joy.
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| Chicago is Amazingly Beautiful! I loved my magical moments there. |
Take in a deep breath and breath out slowly in order to lock in the moment--to savor it no matter how brief it is. Open your eyes in wonder. Smell the beauty. Relish the taste. Feel the pleasure spread through your soul. Enjoy the moment like there is nothing else. Pause long enough to really capture the instant, to take it in, to cherish it. When you do, that moment will be locked into you and become a part of you--something you can look back on that can help you when times are the toughest. You can remember with affection and be glad you have a story to tell. You can also become better at not letting the realities of the past, the pain of the present, and uncertainties of the future control or consume you. Slow down and enjoy more special moments. It will be good for your soul. For a series of great quotes on living in the moment, see http://www.joyofquotes.com/present_moment_quotes.html.
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