Savour today's moments

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.”

- The Buddha

Viewing time as linear makes our consciousness fragmented into past, present, and future. When broken into pieces in this way, we actually lose some of our free will because we cannot see things clearly. By learning to live as a whole person in the present moment we become free and powerful, as meant to be. The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness. Euripides, the Greek dramatist, said: “waste not fresh tears over old grief.” Choosing to live in the past or the future, not only robs us the enjoyment of today, it robs us of truly living. Remember that today is the first day of the rest of our life; and that the only important moment is the present moment. Sometimes, we clutch the past so tightly to our chest that our arms are too full to embrace the present. Rejoice in the things that are present; all else is beyond thee.

Tuning in to our senses is one of the best ways to connect with the present, and truly live in the moment. Unfortunately, we all too often dull our senses. Sometimes we do it intentionally, such as when we block out the sounds around us with music headphones. Other times we simply ignore our senses. How often have we devoured a meal, only to realise that we did not take the time to taste the food? If only we would acknowledge and fully experience our senses, we will become competent to live in the present.

Practising the art of mindful eating is an excellent way to appreciate just how powerful an influence our senses have on experiencing the moment. Have you ever noticed that children have neither a past nor future; they enjoy the present, which very few of us do. Lately I have had the opportunity to observe a master of living in the moment, Ariya – a cuddly two year old, the granddaughter of a close friend of mine. When she wants to eat, she asks to eat. She does not wait until it is convenient. When she is tired, she sleeps.

She is not worried about being rude to the guests that are visiting. When she is happy, she smiles and dances; and when she is upset, she cries; unconcerned about what others will think. She truly lives in the moment. Each and every moment of her world, is brand new.

However, unlike babies, most adults live with responsibilities and distractions that cause our minds to leap from one thought to the next. When that happens, the opportunity to experience and appreciate the present moment is lost to us. But, we can take inspiration from babies, and find ways to live in the present moment. Let the past be; ignore what is still to come; and simply experience the now.

With that goal in mind, consider the suggestions given below to start living your life in the present:

Remove needless possessions

Minimalism forces us to live in the present. Removing items associated with past memories enables us to stop living in the past, and start living in the present. Savour the moments of today. Soak in as much of today as you possibly can - the sights, the sounds, the smells, the emotions, the triumph, and the sorrow. Love life, and appreciate what you have done. You will find that true living has just begun.

Past hurts

If we are harbouring resentment towards another human being because of past hurts, choose to forgive and move on. The harm was their fault; allowing it to impact us is ours. Forgiveness is not something we do for other people.

We do it for ourselves - to feel better, healthier, and happy. Hence, absolve, smile, and move on. Each day is full of endless possibilities. Start it with a smile. We are in control of our attitude every morning. Keep optimistic and expectant.

Love your job

If we just ‘survive’ the work week, constantly waiting for the weekend to come, we are wasting 72 p.c. of our life - 5 out of 7 days.

There are two solutions. Find a new job that is enjoyable, or find something to appreciate about the current career, and focus on that rather than the negatives. The same applies to work at home.

Dream about the future, work hard today, but do not make dreams your world: Dream big. Set goals and plans for the future. Working hard today is always the first step to realising dreams tomorrow. Allow not dreaming about tomorrow to replace living today. To dwell on accomplishments and talk about what we did yesterday means we have not done much today.

Stop worrying and think beyond old solutions

We cannot fully appreciate today if we worry too much about tomorrow. Realise that tomorrow is going to happen whether we worry about it or not. Since worry has never accomplished anything for anybody, redirect the mental energy elsewhere.

The world is changing so fast that most of yesterday’s solutions are no longer the right answers today. Do not be locked into a “but that’s how we’ve always done it” mentality. Yesterday’s solutions are not today’s solutions, and they are certainly not tomorrow’s solutions.

Conquer addictions

Addictions in our life hold us hostage. They keep us from living a completely free life today. Find some help. Take the steps and remove its influence over you.

If ever we feel as if life is speeding by so quickly that we do not have the time to experience it; may be we have just forgotten how to live in the moment.

It is impossible, always to live in the moment - especially given the hectic world we live in. However, by using some of the methods above, we can spend more time connected to the present; and less time distracted by what has happened or what is still to come.

Many of us will face challenging situations in our lives that make us want to retreat from life or lash out at the world. Some of these situations will be life changing, and some of it will be the small stuff. It is normal to have some moments of disconnection.

We have all experienced moments where we lose connection to the present and get lost in thoughts, stories, and judgment.

However, when this becomes our habitual response to life, we may end up feeling as if life is passing us by. At such moments, slow down; bring life to a pause.

Never underestimate the value of doing nothing; of just sitting and listening to all the things we cannot hear or bother with normally.

This slowing down is what ‘Mindfulness Meditation’ teacher and psychotherapist Tara Brach calls, the Sacred Pause: ‘finding our way back home’. We come into this sacred pause, anytime that there is a need to reconnect with life in a healing way. Our ability to pause in order to connect with life is the precious gift of opening our heart so that we can allow life to move through us. That is the moment in time; with heart and mind in union, we feel life; when we are fully connected to the world, and to our aliveness.

May you bring, many a moments of the present into your life.

See you this day next week. Until then, keep thinking; keep laughing. Life is mostly about these two activities.

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