Lead a vivid life that does good

Tag: Being Present

Enjoying the moment

 Only NOW can we live FULLY in this moment.I’ve sat in this cafe at least a dozen times over the last year or so and never noticed how diverse the lights. They are different sizes, shapes and strength.

If I’m honest, the only reason I haven’t noticed the lights before, is because I have never been fully present in this cafe. I’ve never taken the time to sit and just absorb my surroundings and let the sights and sounds connect me in the moment.

As a futurist most of my thoughts are in the future. I know others who spend most of their thought life in the past.

And of course there are a few lucky people who are incredibly good at being present. At noticing. Engaging. Connecting. Absorbing. And ultimately enjoying the moment.

The past is behind us, the future is coming. Only now can we live fully in this moment.

One of my weaknesses is being present.

I’m certainly not saying we shouldn’t review the past, or think of the future. But if our thoughts and conversations are always somewhere other than here, in this moment, then in a way we are missing out on living.

Why memories exist in the now.

Memories are only made in the now

Photo of actual sunset from the bridge.

And so it came to be that I was standing with my daughter on the walk bridge, in the now, watching as the sun slowly inched below the horizon. As twilight took hold a memory was locked away. A memory of being present, being here, being in the now.

And I could have missed it.

A few minutes earlier I had been driving home, noticing the sun as New Zealand rotated away from its radiant light. I decided to call my daughter and told her to meet me outside in a few minutes, and just minutes after that we watch the sun set for another day.

It was exciting.

Beautiful.

Memorable. (Memories are only made in the now!)

Fun.

And all it took was a simple choice, to disconnect and enjoy the moment. To be in the now.

My mind is always active. It’s so active that often I miss what is happening around me.

I miss the smell of flowers as I enter the room.

I miss the popping sounds as I walk along an estuary.

I miss the opportunity to engage with the person in front of me because I’m thinking of what’s coming up.

I miss the now.

Do you?