We are being chased out of a particular time of the day by runaway thoughts. I am at least. If I am sitting down having dinner with my boys I am already thinking about what books I’ll read with them after, if there’s still time to bake some cookies and which ones would take less time and whether I should give that draft another read tonight before sending it out. That’s just a sample. So I’m there but not quite. And if the day has been a challenging one I’m even less there than I should be. It could happen any time, not just at dinner time. I could be robbed of any part of my day and it’s really up to me to put up with that or not. Whether I immerse myself fully in that moment or not, the time will pass just the same. It could be dinners, talking a walk, chatting with a friend or working on things. If I choose to do something at a certain time or if a situation crafts itself around me, I have two options: To be there body and soul and make the most of it, to taste it fully, or to seemingly be there but be far away at the same time. It shows, the not being there part, it really does.
It’s a waste of time, I think. Mine and other people’s too if there’s others involved.
It really pays off to be in the moment. I’m not talking about being stuck in an elevator for four hours. If you consciously choose to be somewhere at a certain time, make the best of that situation.
I’d rather learn to say no to committing to things I don’t feel quite right about if I have a choice than do it and not be there fully. I once read that if we were to think at the beginning of every day that we are being given 86,400 seconds and whatever is not used will be taken away at the end of the day, we’d make better use of our time. I’m tempted to say the same about the poorly used seconds, the ones we waste on trying to spread ourselves too thin, the ones we’re not even aware of bidding goodbye to because we’re too absorbed plunging head first in the ones to come. It’s bad enough. But then to waste someone else’s is even worse. So I won’t anymore. It’s not easy and it won’t happen overnight but I’m committing to it. Join me?
PS: The reading of this took 120 seconds or so of your day. I hope it was worth it.
max birkner
The 120 seconds were definitely worth my time, so rock on Daniela. I do have a tendency to spread myself out too thin over so many things. It is an ongoing battle to just focus sometimes, but I feel I’m coming out on the winning side more and more.
Being in the moment is so important. Sometimes I’m skiing somewhere and the sun is rising or setting just perfectly, or at other times I’m in a coffee shop when the rain is pouring down. Then I sit there drinking coffee and watching the condensation form on the windows. Those are the best moments.
Daniela Ginta
Thank you for reading. And for appreciating the beauty of being in the moment 🙂