By: Hettie Basi Lighttower
Welcome September! It is the beginning of fall three weeks into it. We can now start shopping for all our Halloween decorations and Christmas trimmings all in the same month! UGH….. Why do we rush things? We are always looking ahead. Always planning the next thing.
This thing called time tricks us to keep living in the future by planning tomorrow and in our head going on to the next holiday season. Although, Thanksgiving is really quite overlooked. Thanksgiving is a time for reflection and giving thanks. It should be more of the focus after the hocus pocus rather than skipping directly to Christmas. SIGH……
Have you heard the term living in the now? What does that mean exactly? It is bitterly difficult to live in the now. Why do we have such a problem with it? You see, if we are not being productive we feel guilty, like we should be planning something or doing something. How often do we really sit and just enjoy being in our body and feeling a breeze or listening to music? Then contrarily sometimes we dwell too much on the past.
Perhaps we miss people that used to be with us. Or situations or a place where we used to live and we pine away. Have you noticed that another word for the phrase….“being in the now”…. is “present”!!?? The here and now is our present. Like the gift…. a gift is a present! The future hasn’t happened yet, the past had its time already and has left us memories, but the time we have today is our present.
What do you do with this gift and present each new day? Are you doing your best? Are you pursuing happiness? Have you made a new friend today or reached out to one that has been off the radar for a while? My mom was very good at sending cards to people who were in the hospital or sick or had recently lost a loved one. Sometimes she would even take meals to those stuck at home because of failing health.
Do you find yourself being bored in the present? If we are honest with ourselves there is never a time when we should be bored EVER. Especially with the internet at our fingertips. There is always something to do or make or learn or accomplish. You can even do experiments in the kitchen!! When was the last time you didn’t go by a recipe? Haha, that might be a scary thought, haha. But why not explore instead of being “a bore”! Have you ever tried adding pecans to your chocolate chip cookies? Or molasses in your sugar cookies? Let me know how that turns out. Bring me a half dozen.
There are lots of ways to be present and enjoy our gift of today. Spend a special block of time with your grandchildren, check out what the local library has going on, go into a store downtown that you have never entered(just to look around) do something out of the ordinary to keep your spirits up and scare boredom away. (sounds like Halloween talk….. spirits, scare….scary spirits) There are local craft activities and classes all the time. And this time of year many festivals and events to explore.
But in all honesty sitting with yourself and just simply being in the now can be amazing. It is like a form of meditation to focus on your breath and be grateful for it. Hear it as it goes in and out. Feel it as it goes in and out. Try it, see how calming it can be. Consider it a friend! It is a friend. You can do the same with your heart. Have you ever had a conversation with your body and its parts? Have you thanked your hands for all they do for you? Have you thanked your eyes or ears? I am sure many of you have prayed and thanked God for all these working parts but have you truly connected to your body and give it gratitude for all the years it has served you?
These are all suggestions we can do in the here and now as we accept and acknowledge our present of today. And maybe your knees or back are giving you pain. Have you said to them I feel you. I know you have worked hard and are tired. You are calling out to me, what is it you need me to learn. What is it I need to know from this communication you are giving me? Our bodies can only communicate through feeling, aka our nerves which produce sensations mostly translated as pain. More often than not, there is an underlying message we can “hear” or “understand” when we take out time in our present to connect and listen to our bodies. I know you have heard THAT term before “Listen to your body” “Your body will let you know” “What is your body telling you?”
All these familiar sayings are real things and mean something. I hope you have discovered ways here to make the most of your “here and now” and explore other ways not mentioned. May your days be filled with joy and wonder and satisfaction instead of boredom, sadness or fear. Embrace your daily gifts.
Send in your notions and comments to [email protected]. I will include them in the next available column as per their arrival relative to the publication deadline of Tuesday by 12 p.m. of the same week. If you wish to be anonymous let me know. Kindness is contagious~*