Patricia Wilson in her book, "The Mindful Manager: The God Factor at Work" states this about "being", "Being is enjoying the world at this moment..." Doesn't that just sound soooo delicious. I mean really...it speaks of savouring a mouthful, of basking in a sensation, of experiencing life around me. It's what I truly want to be about.
Two days ago, I was fretting and rushing and consumed with endless lists and jobs, when it occurred to me that if I continued to live like this, I would miss summer. It would come and go, and I would lament it's passing because I had been too busy living in the next moment instead of the present. I know that's the downside of being a chronic planner and organizer. I'm living in the future far too much, because I'm always preparing for what's next.
So I am waging war on this "doing" thing. I am choosing to practice "being present in the moment". And for me it works it's way out like this...a candle in the bathtub, relishing the aroma and sensation of lotion on my feet, enjoying the smell of dish detergent, and the squeaky clean of dishes, the soft sensation of warm laundry from the dryer and the art of folding my son's clothes, the cessation of my prayer time to watch a Mama duck and her ducklings cross my street, the calm of eating lunch on the front porch, the beauty of landscaping as I drive throughout the city. It means I must discipline myself constantly, to keep my thoughts focused on the moment at hand. It means seeking to determine what beauty I can squeeze out of a normally dismal task. It means engaging my senses in the moment in order to truly live that moment.
"Nobody sees a flower; really. It is small. We haven't the time and it takes time..."
--Georgia O'Keefe
I really want to see flowers this summer. I want to see their intricacies, feel their texture, inhale their scent. I want to "be present in the moment" when I live this summer.
Starting right...now.
