Sunday, February 24, 2013

Living In The Moment


We talk often about living in the moment, stopping to smell the flowers and taking time to enjoy the view. It all boils down to making each and every moment special, each minute count for something and every action working for the good.

I've been blessed....and maybe cursed with a mind that's always ten steps ahead of where I am right now. Always calculating, always working on future projects, always putting things in perspective and always planning ahead.

I tend to have so much on my mind, most of the time, that I speed through life like a whirlwind, missing out on so much of the simple pleasures around me. When I'm driving, or eating, or exercising, my thoughts are always in the future. It's as though I have the need to get everything organized way in advance. And because of that, I'm missing out on the here and now.


There is a new method, a philosophy, a way of thinking that deals with living life.
Mindfulness.....being in the moment...
It's a thought process where we become more aware of our surroundings, our physical touch and our senses.
Taking the time to become aware....

Whether were sitting at  desk, driving in traffic, or eating, it's a process of seeing and feeling what's around us. Feeling our feet on the floor, the fabric of our jeans on our legs, the touch of the steering wheel, the taste of the coffee. By starting off with the little things, we can go to observing our surroundings. The traffic around us, the person sitting across the counter in a restaurant, or the sounds of the birds, the wind blowing or the cat purring beside us.

We live in such a fast paced world of technology and multitasking, we've forgotten how to enjoy the simple things in life. And I, for one, have slipped into that same mindset.

Mindfulness seems to have come out of that hectic way of life. Where we are going through the motions. Where life seems to go by in a blink. That life where days and months, holidays and birthdays, weekends and vacations speed by in a flash.

So is mindfulness the answer......
I don't know, but I do know that if we don't start taking more time to live in the moment, we will wonder where the years went. We'll wonder how we got there with so much time wasted and not enough time lived.
If we can start being more aware of our surroundings and allow ourselves to start living in the present, we will find ourselves heading in the right direction.

My mindset of worrying so much about the future, to the point I don't enjoy the now, is a habit that has been picked up by repeating itself over and over. Sure we have to plan ahead and planning for the future is a good thing, but, if we become so obsessed with making the future perfect and not leaving room for a different outcome, we've missed the point of life. Life is a Journey, and if it doesn't happen the way we planned....... that's OK. It's all part of that Journey.

So stop right now, feel your feet planted on the floor, the feel of your back against the chair, listen to the sounds around you. Become aware. Live life. And with each moment, realize that each breath can give us a glimpse of the life that God intended for us to live.


and the Journey Continues.......


3 comments:

A Free Spirit Butterfly said...

100% in agreement. I love traffic and looking at people, places and things along the way. To see the various trees, butterflies :-), children, clouds forming and "just life moving" is so amazing to me.

I used to be such a worry queen and missed out on so much, I can hardly recall the butterfly sightings when I was walking in my own path.

Living on the beach has certainly calmed me down and gave me a huge appreciation for GOD's glory.

Yesterday, being still, I sat and watched the waves with their white tips race against the shore as the wind whistled really loud. It was so incredible to witness and have nothing to do but sit and watch.

He is in every detail of our lives and we need to slow down, take deep breaths and be still...

It is all for our pleasure and we take it for granted.

I wished you hadn't said the word coffee. Lol

I'm fasting from coffee and bread and now, I want to smell the aroma after reading your post...

LOVE the post photo!

Love for a great day!
China

WynnSong said...

You're preaching to the choir. Hopefully I'll get to that point soon. Maybe I need to move to beach.....

A Free Spirit Butterfly said...

The view is amazing and there are some vacancies. Lol

His peace seems to somehow rest there in a way I've never felt before!