Being Aware

Are you here? Are you present? Are you aware of right now? Are you sure?

I heard the most interesting thing on NCPR yesterday...

Humans are very complex beings. (That's nothing profound...) We are one of the few species that can sit and plan/calculate things in the future. Where do we want to go on vacation next year? What's for supper Saturday night? We also worry. What will happen if _____ happens? Etc. Etc.

While we are busy calculating things, planning things, and worrying about things we are not always HERE and AWARE of right now!

That really struck me.

Yes, it is kinda like the old addage "stop and smell the roses"...

Are there things in your life that you are so busy planning, or wanting to change, or worried about that you are not enjoying the things (big or small) that are going on RIGHT NOW?

I know that the reason this made me stop and think was because I suffer from this type of mentality. All of the Where, What, Why, When, How, Who... etc. leads me to not enjoying the here and now!

One example I hear often is someone complaining that their children grew up too fast. "I just blinked one day and little Tommy was already 16 and asking for the car keys..." This is why Hotty Scotty and I always try to take time to read that extra book (or 3) that B wants, or sometimes our evenings are spent on the floor of her room, playing... no television is ever turned on. We spend that extra moment holding her before she drifts off to sleep, and we let her crawl into our bed on weekend mornings. B is one little person that we are willing to set the smartphones, laptops, Nooks, etc. down for. She will not be little for long... and we do *not* want to miss this.

I am NOT saying that planning and thinking is a bad thing, in fact, the control-freak in me says quite the opposite. I do not like to "live by the seat of my pants"...however I do believe in the joy of being sporadic sometimes.

Things like body-issues, weight and weight loss, job stresses, trying to plan family things, house/yard matters, making lists, etc. all add up to taking my focus off of enjoying things RIGHT NOW.

I intend to keep stopping every-now-and-then and look around, breathe, LIVE, and yes, smell the roses.