The same thing happens every year. I am fully enjoying summer, and then I feel the longing for Fall. I want to make the most of the short summer season when I can soak in the sun and grill burgers on the deck, but at the same time I want to bake an apple pie and sit at a campfire in the cool evening air.
Oh, if only I could have both at any given moment. How does one enjoy the anticipation of a season change, yet not lose a single drop of sunshine in the current climate?
Honestly, as I typed that last line I considered how the words are both a practical question, and a life lesson. We must be whole heartedly present in each moment every day. Be Present. I just took a pic of my morning coffee the other day with this message on it. I purposely chose that mug for fun that morning.
Staying present, then, means staying here - right here - in the center of the totality of what has already been planned for that moment. Staying present, right here in the moment, also means our attention is given to the priority at hand. That might be a person, job, task or event. It might be prayer and devotions, or a super busy day of work that absolutely needs to reach completion in a timely manner.
Staying present takes determination and focus, but it is not all hard work. There is such beauty in the moments that pass by so quickly, and we must slow down to savor them. How is that done?
Reduce Distractions.
Celebrate the wins. Big and small.
Identify the important moments of the day.
Listen more. Talk less.
Savor the process. It's addictive and habit forming.
These are the thoughts I have while enjoying the slow pace of Summer, and waiting for Autumn's cool crisp air and natural palette of colors to appear.
Loving and Living Life....... Amanda
How I stay in the present: leave the phone home or just not bother with it. There are times I take a photo in a rush or video or whatever the moment is spent behind the lense and not experiencing it in as first person so to speak. So I have learn d, enjoy each moment. If you take a picture great but stop trying to capture the moment and just live in the moment that will bring memories that will last longer in our hearts and minds then the picture. When you are in the moment you notice the sounds, colors, the feeling and what we took in on that moment when those things that came into that memory unnoticed when those things are experienced we are then transported to that moment. That is the best memory and sits in my mind and heart. Be present means being present.
Michele
Posted by: Michele Callahan | Friday, August 09, 2019 at 01:49 PM