What does it mean to live in the moment? Until being quarantined I had no clue because I never had.
In the past I always spent my “now” planning my “next” not realizing the moments I missed because I was so consumed with “tomorrow.”
Can you relate? Somewhere along the way we get so focused on our tomorrows we miss out on our todays.
I wonder if this quarantine is God’s gentle way of quieting us long enough to open our eyes to the preciousness of the present.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with having schedules, routines and to-do lists.
Can you imagine how chaotic life would be if we lived each day haphazardly without established plans? Those daily routines are what keep us in line and on time.
It’s when routine evolves into ruts and we are living life on autopilot oblivious to beautiful moments that can’t be relived once they pass.
Are we missing those moments due to overrun calendars filled with activities that are costing us time, attention, energy and money – activities that often leave us feeling cheated or disappointed?
Until this self-quarantine began that was my life.
The life I thought would fall apart if I slowed down, set aside my to-do list or broke with routine has beautifully fallen together in ways I never anticipated beginning with learning how to live in and appreciate my “present.”
Could this isolation simply be God beckoning us to linger longer in Today instead of always anxiously awaiting Tomorrow?
He’s graciously pressed pause offering us the chance to redefine “normal” that includes savoring every morsel of this present moment knowing there are no do-overs.
To live in the moment is to live in the present, in both body and mind.
How often are we physically in one place but our minds are elsewhere consumed with to-do lists, bills, next week’s activities, weekend plans, schoolwork? That was always my normal until now.
Now, I pray that I will never again be so mentally distracted over something trivial like hoping Kroger has my grocery list items in stock or stewing over a controversial or negative social media post that I fail to notice the feel of a warm breeze on my shoulder tinted with the scent of fresh cut grass and magnolia.
Or that I’m so anxiously waiting for Friday that I miss the joy God wanted to give me on Tuesday.
I don’t even want to know how many moments I missed from being so distracted planning the “next” that I missed out on the “now.”
This week we commit to living every minute of every day in the moment, this gift we call TODAY that never comes with a guarantee of tomorrow.
Because the most important moment we will ever live in is NOW.
Sandra Hubbard
#liveinthemoment #practicebeingpresent #imhere #inspirational #keynote #thechiccreative
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