Living in the Moment 

We’ve been so conditioned to always be busy doing, thinking, planning and setting goals, that we have lost the art of living in the moment. We plan for so many things. We look forward to so much. Yet all we have is this moment. None of us knows what the next few minutes will bring. That is unknown. All we know is this present moment in time. Walking along the beach at Byron Bay on a warm March morning, I experiment with this. “This moment is it. This is my life. All I have is what I experience right now.” Walking, feet touching the sand, listening as the waves crash in to shore, watching a seagull take flight. I am living in the moment. My mind and body are “gone” and I am simply experiencing life around me.

The past is gone, finished, over. There’s no point in wasting this present moment rehashing old stuff, touching on old wounds. What happens when I do that? I forget where I am right now and I begin to take on the emotions connected to my past. I forget how good I am feeling just walking and allowing life to touch me. So, I let go of the urge to think of the past….yesterday, last week, last year, 20 years ago. I stay aware in the moment. Back to the feet touching the sand, the waves, sounds, sights, smells that surround me here and now. 

When I find myself thinking about the future (what I should do next, wondering if I’m on the right path, contemplating a different path), I stop myself. “None of that is real,” I remind myself. All that is guaranteed is where I am right now. And to know that I am where I am meant to be right at this moment. It is a comforting thought to know that I am on purpose right now. That I am doing exactly what I am meant to be doing right now. How do I know that for certain? Because it is what is. Tomorrow that may change but for now I can rest in the fact that all that matters is this very moment in time.

The best way I have found to practice the art of living in the moment is to go somewhere in nature and walk or sit amongst the natural surroundings. Try it sometime. Just sit and observe what is happening around you. Notice the wind blowing through the trees, the sound of birds chirping or calling, the movement of waves or tree branches, the colour of the water, the sky, the leaves, the tree trunks, the blossoms, the feel of the breeze on your skin or the heat from the sun on your back or arms. This is life happening all around you! Enjoy it! It’s quite special isn’t it? Think about its beauty, its uniqueness, it’s wonder. Allow yourself to embrace all of life and what it is offering you right now in this moment. Be still. Drink in the peace. Quench your thirst with the beauty. Enjoy! 

These special moments don’t last forever, but while they are here, know that you are in a sacred space. And often, these moments leave us in a flash, when the mind and body returns and you notice you are thinking about that email you have to send or what you’re going to wear to the wedding next weekend. That’s okay. Just remember the journey is it! Right now is it. This very minute is what it is all about. 

Imagine what your life would feel like if you were able to spend a short time everyday living in the moment. It is a space where you experience total peace, complete balance and a sense of wholeness and unity. Where time loses its hold on you and instead you float with the passage of time. As I watch the clouds floating slowly across the sky, I am reminded of how the universe sees life: all is well. There is no need to rush. There is nothing so important that it cannot wait a few more minutes. So, take this moment to just be. Turn off the phone. Close your eyes. Breathe in life.