“What day is it?"
"It's today," squeaked Piglet.
"My favorite day," said Pooh.
Every time you ask my cousin how his day is – his response is, “Best day ever!” On the rare occasion, you might hear…”Awful! Terrible! Horrible! But it was the best day, best trip, ever.” He’s a stereotypical New Yorker on almost every level: quick thinker, faster talker, well-read, dynamic, semi ;) cultured and extremely sarcastic. But he’s also an enigma (and I can say this after having lived in ‘The City’ for eight years): he truly cherishes all that he has and manages to find the merit in the moment. It’s said, “Stress occurs when we forget how beautiful the present moment is.”[1] And while I am not sure we can eliminate all stress in our lives, would it be possible to start with eliminating some? What would it be to live in the present moment?
So what’s the reality in THIS moment? What is actually happening right now? What can you hear in this moment? What can you see? (likely in this moment, it’s a screen :D) What can you feel and touch? Smell? Five minutes ago no longer exists unless you bring it into the present moment. What’s truly here, now?
After sending last week’s blog to a friend, she replied with further insight: the reason year toddlers do not get hung up in the past, in their hundreds and thousands of falls and are always ready to take their next step, is because they are indeed living in the moment. That might explain why they are quick to cry – and then quick to forget. They feel the pain in that moment and rather than continuing to live in that space and latching onto that experience for the rest of the day, they remain engaged with whatever else is directly in front of them.
So this week, can we continue to learn from the two-year-old toddler within? Can you remain present? Can you find the beauty as my cousin does each and every day in every moment possible? Granted not every moment is beautiful, but what if you found just five, three or even one moment to enjoy each and every day? How might that enhance your day? Your life?
Victoria Erickson said, “to be present might be exactly what we’ve needed all along. To feel a place while we are fully in it. To be fully with people while sharing time. To know this moment and this moment only may actually be the closest thing to ecstatic living we’ll experience…So wherever you are, be there. In your body. One foot in front of the next.”
As you step into 2017, can you start with this moment? Notice what’s here. Notice the beauty. And like Pooh or my cousin, can you have more “best days,” or “favorite days”?
With love and gratitude,
Rachel (Sign up below to receive these weekly!)
[1] www.wisdom-ink.com and www.facebook.com/conciouslivingnetwork