Living in the moment – is a phrase we hear often, especially in this age of social media where inspirational quotes and reminders flood our feeds, and occasionally I find that annoying…
“Live in the moment,” they say.
“Embrace every second,” they urge.
But are these suggestions not laughable?
How many of us truly experience the freedom to live and relish every passing moment?
Nope, I suspect many reading this, me included, would settle for relishing some moments in a typical week. It must be wonderful to be fully present, to soak in the beauty of now, or whatever hippy quote favours the instaworld of today, but like many, the only quiet time I get is when I book it in my dairy… and that’s when I get permission to do so.
For me the struggle to enjoy life and genuinely live in the moment can feel almost impossible at times, and furthermore, I’m yet to meet anyone that even appears to have got it right. And yet as I get older, I’m reminded I must do more to prioritise what’s important, despite what might be expected of me.
I must (we all must) try to get close to the serenity of simply being, and making those moments happen.
I’m going to say it….
“I need to be a Human Be-ing – not a Human Do-ing.”
The self-applied pressure to succeed, to keep up, and to meet societal expectations weighs heavily on most shoulders, but this can leave little room for authentic moments of joy and presence – we’re just too busy.
Even when not physically busy our minds can preoccupied with the past or the future, replaying past events or worrying about what’s to come and as such we’re often physically present but mentally absent, and amidst this chaos, for me at least, finding the balance between responsibilities and the genuine enjoyment of life becomes in itself a challenge.
Is it not crazy that I add ‘live in the moment’, to my list of tasks and chores?
But living in the moment isn’t about shunning responsibilities or abandoning goals, for me it’s about finding a way to weave these moments of presence and joy into the fabric of our lives – and essentially taking note when I’ve made that happen.
This weekend was a good weekend. I prioritised Christmas dinner with new friends, night clubbing with old friends adding a half Marathon in shocking weather for breakfast. It was a challenge, and took took some diary management and expectation setting on my time to achieve – but it was worth it.
2,841 days of prep – we’re beginning to make progress.
camping jedi 
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