Yesterday, I had the pleasure of going to Lakeside, a pool club, that has more than a pool. It is very different from normal pools. It was an old quarry that was filled in and they created several pools within it. Normally, when I go to the pool or other places with my children in the summertime I always bring my Master’s workload with me, books, notebooks, and questions I have to answer. This time I left everything behind (on purpose). Instead, I laid down on a float and followed my children around. Eventually I just looked at the water in the distance and close to me. I watched as the sun danced off the ripples. I looked beyond the children laughing, and the parents relaxing and found myself looking at the beauty and serenity of the ripples in the water. The water moved with a smooth uniformity, the sun flashed and fell across the tops of the ripples, I was mesmerized. I was lost in a moment of presence. It was peaceful and pure relaxation.
It is rare in my life to be still and watch anything for very long. I have too many tasks to accomplish, places to go, and deadlines to tend to. I know intellectually that living in the moment, in the present time, is a life well lived. It is a challenge as a mother and a person within our busy culture. However, yesterday I did it and it was good.
Try it in your life today. Find a moment and settle into looking beyond the distractions and let yourself enjoy the present.
excerpts from Spencer Johnson’s, THE PRECIOUS PRESENT… “The Precious Present is the best present of all…because anyone who receives such a gift is happy forever….The precious present has nothing to do with wishing…when you have it you are perfectly content to be where you are….You already know what it is. You already know how it can make you happy, You knew it best when you were a small child. You have simply forgotten….It is a gift that you give yourself…The Precious Present is THE PRESENT, not the past; and not the future, but THE PRECIOUS PRESENT….because it is absolutely everything it is meant to be…at that moment…It is wise for me to think about the past and to learn from my past…it is also wise to think about the future and to prepare for my future…but not wise to BE in the in the past or future for that is how I lose my self. THE PRESENT IS SIMPLY WHO I AM JUST THE WAY I AM…RIGHT NOW. AND THAT IS PRECIOUS…I AM THE PRECIOUS PRESENT.”
The whole book takes less than 15 minutes to read…by Doubleday, written in 1981 and one of my favorites! this blog is a perfect example of a PRECIOUS MOMENT and I loved pulling the book off my self and reading it again…