Living in the Present Moment

“Time is nothing more than a series of present moments.” – Dr. Dwayne Dyer

 I’ve been lost in the moment several times lately, it’s seems funny to say that, but it’s so true.  I was watching a bird as it was looking for a meal, hopping along in the grass under the trees.  Chances are that bird wasn’t thinking about cleaning the nest, what it would eat for dinner later that night, where it would sleep, what to do in the case of a storm, or where it would fly next.  That bird was living in the moment, carefully inspecting what was in front of it, finding a tidbit of something, tasting and enjoying every morsel it could find as it found it.  All the while it was also noticing the wind, feeling the earth under its feet and listening to its surroundings. 

 I realized that in that moment that bird was living life to its fullest potential far more than I do at most moments throughout the day.  What a humbling thought and an eye-opening one. 

 Animals don’t worry about things moment to moment or where their next meal will come from unless we put them in a cage and they become dependent on us.  Even then they are simply trusting that what they need will be there when they need it and they are still living in the moment. 

 So, how is it that we allow ourselves to get so consumed with time, not wasting it, spending it wisely, scheduling it, saving it, and why do we think we have any type of control of it what so ever?  We don’t.  All we ever have is NOW.  That’s it.  There is only the present time.  We contemplate the future – in the present.  We remember or cry over the past – in the present.  All we have is the present time.

 I’ve heard the saying, “Live in the Now,” over and over from so many directions for years, but I guess I never let it really sink in or thought about it enough to really grasp that now is all there really is.

 Your time is now.  If you use time fretting over all the things you have to do, planning something you want to do, thinking of something you should have done, you are STILL using it.  How much fuller would life be, how much more enjoyable, more extraordinary if we just stop and focus on the now?  Even the mundane things in life become enjoyable

 How many moments have slipped by as we were focusing on other things?  All we have is now.  Sure we have to arrange our time as human beings in our busy world, but how much sweeter would life be if we arrange to invest our time in things we want to do, then stop, quiet the mind, and focus on experiencing everything in that moment? 

 Cherry Coley ©

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