In the Moment

I just cannot believe that it is the end of February already.......time is sure flying. It's funny how that happens. I want to hang on to the present for fear that I will forget all the neat stuff that is happening around me but I am looking to the future with anticipation as well! A good friend of mine told me that I may live in the future and the big picture too much so I am trying to live in the moment. She said that I have to be "a little more Budist" and while I am not about to try budism, I am okay working on my ability to stay present and enjoy the moment for what it is.

This is what I have come up with so far. A piece of my life is not at it's peek right now and I have really been, at times, dwelling on it. This dwelling has the potential to ruin my day and dominate my outlook on life for a particular day, which leads to a lot of meaningless rumination and emotional suffering. So today as I was working through my day I tried to "stay in the moment" as much as I could. As I was sitting in class today and my thoughts would wander to my particular "wound" as I will call it, I forced myself to look at where I was and what I appreciated about where I was at that particular moment. I was able to think about the great stuff we were discussing and really appreciate the opportunity of graduate school and this particular class at this moment. I found that I instantly thought about how school, learning, and engaging with peers makes me happy and guess what? I actually smiled. I am glad that my 7 classmates already know that I am crazy. I also used this same practice at work today. Again, if I caught my mind wandering I would pull it back to the opportunities I have at work and my fabulous coworkers and again I would smile.

I am amazed at the power we have to control our thoughts and thus control our emotions to some extent. I am glad that my friend cared enough to speak into my life and that I had the foresight to listen. :) And if you ever catch me smiling and laughing to myself you will know that I am probably just caught up in enjoying the moment......and what a wonderful moment it will be! So here is to the beautiful present and the wonderful future to come with each moment appreciated for what it is!