Life is what is happening to you RIGHT NOW – not what happened yesterday or even what might happen tomorrow. It’s going on right now and the last thing you want to do is miss it! Did you rush off to work this morning without taking the time to really taste that cup of coffee? Did you hurry through washing the dishes and miss what was going on in the yard right outside the kitchen window? Taking the time to realize what you are doing, when you are doing it, is a key facet of slowing down and living a simpler life. But even more important is taking the time to just BE, at least once a day…taking it all in, enjoying the quiet, watching the clouds, or enjoying a cup of your favorite tea while resting your body. A few weeks ago I started my own routine of just BEING – when late afternoon or dusk comes around, I turn off my computer and my phone, grab a beer from the fridge, and head out to the middle of my yard where my lawn chair awaits. Sometimes the cat joins me outside too, and we both just sit there for a bit watching the clouds roll by and the light change on the mountains behind the house. It puts a nice “end cap” on the day before the sun goes down, and it gives me that chance to get outside if I was stuck inside working all day.
Too much of our day is spent doing something, without even realizing what it is we are doing. With only about 16 hours of awake time during any given day, it’s easy to let your life get lost in the shuffle of work, kids, house, shopping, cleaning, etc…and that’s why it is so important to try to get that few minutes in each day of BEING.
Find the time to check out your surroundings, talk to neighbors, watch the sky, sit with a pet, water the garden by hand, or watch your kids play in the dirt by themselves. THAT is what this experience of life is all about – it’s not about busying yourself all day and missing out. Take the time you need to experience each and every day – your mind and body will appreciate it.
What do you do each day to remind yourself that you are living your life RIGHT NOW? Let us all know so we can take in some more tips and ideas!
I struggle with this daily.
This week, I had a particularly exhausting week. On Saturday, my husband asked me what I was going to do on and I said, I’m not going to DO anything, I’m just going to BE!
I try to take a walk through the neighborhood everyday. Doesn’t sound that relaxing seeing as how I’m a city boy, but it works. We live right across the street from a gorgeous greenbelt and just a few blocks from the Olmsted designed Washington Park Arboretum…so I’ve got quite the neighborhood to wander!
It seems easier here (at least in the decent weather) than in other places to just go down to the beach and walk and relax, or into the woods or mountains and enjoy the solitude.
That seems to be what I need – solitude sometimes to relax and enjoy life/being. Yesterday it was a short walk with a beach towel into the woods to a little corn pasture, secluded and sunny, for some serious sun bathing and a nap… well the nap wasn’t planned, but it happend anyway 🙂
yes, to time out and away – to rejuvenate ! Planning on doing the same again today! Here, on the NW OR Coast, we learn to take full advantage of a warm sunny day, as there aren’t that many of them!
Looks like someone has been checking out mindfulness! Good on ya.