Right Now

I've been "reading" a book called "The Power of Now". I quote reading because I'm lucky if I read a whole page at a time. (I am not even finished reading the first chapter and I started the book months ago.) Anyway, the concept is that you can create more peace in your life if you focus on the present. I really believe that principle. I am always planning for the future. Right now, I am thinking about what I need to do next. So, a couple of times, I have tried to focus completely on what was going on at the present moment. Once I was chopping tomatoes and really allowed myself to feel everything about the experience. It was a really interesting and different to pay attention to the sensations of my senses rather than just hurry through it and move on to the next task.

Yesterday, I tried it again. My father, Jackson, Luke and I walked to a fountain that was recently built near our home. We got smoothies and sat in the courtyard listening to a jazz band play. For a few moments, I tried to take everything in. Sitting next to my father I watched Jackson do cartwheels in the grass. I listened (and felt) the music. I felt my hair brush against my arm as it blow in the cool breeze. I actually noticed the beautiful clear blue sky as I felt Luke gum my chin. The breeze blew a cold mist of water from the fountain onto me. It was a perfect moment.

Focusing only on that exact moment helped me to see and feel the beauty and joy that is all around me. My type A personality often gets in the way of that. I hope that as I spend more time enjoying exactly where I am at any particular moment, that it will become second nature to me. Practicing this exercise just a couple of times has made me realize how much I have been missing trying to rush through everything in life. I hope to be able to change that and enjoy more "Now" moments.