In the moment

Dear Younger Me,

What color was the sky today? What was the last thing to put a smile on your face? Did you catch yourself thinking, “I want time to slow down and stay right here.”

A lot of days, I can fail to answer these questions. I catch myself sorting through old thoughts, reminiscing on old memories or action planning for where I want to arrive one day. I find myself visiting the past and preparing for the future so often that I throw away a chance to live. 

Recently, I have been challenging myself to stop, breath and observe the moment. A few days ago, Sam and I took paddle boards to Big Creek. I got practice in this area. I also decided to leave my phone at home to limit external distractions. 

We pumped up our boards. Carried them to the ramp. Set out on the water. We made our way to the center of the lake. We sat and chatted. Griff practiced walking from board to board. Finally, we stretched our legs out and just laid under the rays. 

Nothing. No file to sort through from my yesterdays or sheets to prep for my tomorrows. Just being. At that moment, I just took in a breath of fresh air. I observed the clouds make their way across the sky as they painted strokes of white on the light blue canvas. I felt the breeze brush over me as my body absorbed heat from the rays above. I listened to the sound of ripples in the near and far. All that existed in that moment was that moment. I was fully there. Every sense was awake. All we did was pause. We stopped and took time to just be where we were and it is marked in my mind as one of the most beautiful moments of my year yet. 

I think how different that moment would have been if I had been thinking about my shift the following day. If my mind was at work while my body was in the water, would I have missed the masterpiece above? Would I have missed an opportunity to connect with my sister? Would I have missed Griff looking adorable and his first time swimming in a life jacket? 

Don’t get me wrong, I love my job. I love being present and doing it with excellence when I’m clocked in. Each day, we are surrounded by reasons to smile. I notice that I appreciate a moment when I’m tuned in with all my senses. In order to do this, it’s crucial that you take a break from traveling to the past and the future. Both are fun to think about, but don’t spend so much time there you miss now.

You are living in a gift and it’s called the present. All you have to do is show up. Allow yourself to observe the beauty around you. Next time you smile, I challenge you to pause and take note of the moment because this is the one time you get to truly experience it. Observe your surroundings. Recognize that you are living in a million perfect moments. 

I don’t know where you are now. I hope each day you experience the peace I felt on that lake. I hope your tank is filled by unplugging and simply being. 

With Love,

Older You

P.S. Feel free to laugh that I just wrote to the past about living in the present.