Saturday, January 20, 2007

NOW

One of my sweet daughters-in-law gives me a subscription to Yoga Journal Magazine every year for my birthday. The latest issue had an article about living in the Now. So I've been thinking about when I have been in the NOW. It is a wonderful place to be. NOW is about being in the moment....having all of your senses involved in what is happening. So much of my life was spent living in..........not sure what to call it...........maybe living in the past or living in the future, living without awareness. Baby crying in the crib, lunches to make, plans for a business meeting. I wasn't aware of the light, the smells, the touch, the sounds of what was happening NOW. Oh your brain registers these things but there is no time to be "with" them, to savor them. I was in a vortex of activity, tied to worrying about the past and worrying about the uncertainty of the future. It seems like much of my life has been spent "doing" instead of "being."

I've had several conversations with friends about the uncertainty of the future. Who knows what is going to happen tomorrow or next week or next year. I've never known what was going to happen in the future but at my age, I'm so much more aware of this fact. So more and more I'm learning to cherish what is happening NOW. To delight in the light on a leaf, the roosters crowing, the soft breeze on the terrace, the setting sun glistening on the windows across town, a walk with Ned, a phone call from a son. The future holds whatever the future holds, but NOW, this moment, life is wonderful.

1 comment:

Nancy said...

Our dog got cancer a couple of years ago and in processing his illness and his behavior with regard to treatment...we did a lot of talking about living in the present.

That's why he had such a good life up until the end...as long as the NOW was good, he was good.

I think about this every day and really try to appreciate things as I see them or experience them.

It does make it a bit strange sometimes to be doing so much planning for our future!

-Nancy