How Do I Stay in the Present Moment?

What on earth is 'the present moment' anyway?

Is it the ticking of the second hand on a clock? Is it the exact moment you are sitting and doing something? What exactly is the present moment we are meant to be in? 

The English language is very flexible with the word 'moment'.’ It can be an instant, or it can be a period of time within a larger period.

 It is a common understanding today that our happiness and well-being have a lot to do with our being present in the moment, to be in the here and now. Just google ‘mindfulness,’ and you will find it filled with talk of the present moment and its importance. 

It would be helpful then to define for ourselves what the word ‘moment’ means.

 Let’s brainstorm what it means to be here now. I like to think of the word ‘moment’ as an arching rainbow of time. It begins a bit before where I am standing, arching all the way over to reach the other side of the moment. And in that wide arch of color, I have the time to savor my life. That is the thing, isn’t it? Time! Our life is broken up into hours and minutes, appointments and schedules, and oh, how tiring a day can be. How do we find the time?

 Maybe that is why we have to practice mindfulness, which has become such a catch-phrase today. Mindfulness indicates paying attention. But attention to what - the seconds passing? Not really. To me mindfulness has the connotation of slowing down, of savoring something, of allowing your mind to become full of present moment awareness...being aware of what you are seeing, what you are smelling, what you are tasting, what are you feeling on your skin.   In our world today we are so busy and so hurried that we forget to 'smell the roses'.

For example, when you have a shower, are you feeling the luxuriousness of the warm water?  Are you smelling the sweetness of the soap?  Are you being grateful for the clean water available to you by turning a tap?  Or are you thinking about where you have to go next and do next?

Let’s savor the word ‘savor.’

Can you savor something quickly? Sounds like an oxymoron, doesn’t it? 

Think of savoring a hot chocolate drink quickly? Impossible!

From the moment you pick up the cup, warming your hands. You breathe in the sweet waft of chocolate as the steam floats past your nose. Then you gently lower your mouth to the rim of the cup, tilting it ever so slowly towards your lips. The smooth taste of chocolate touches your lips, just warm enough to enjoy and not burn your tongue. You open your mouth slightly to sip the warm drink and feel the generous taste of chocolate fill your mouth. It warms your insides as it flows down your throat to your tummy. Your awareness is heightened as you close your eyes enjoying the moment in pure contentment.

Maybe that is all there is to it. Instead of saying be in the present moment, redefine it! Think about savoring the experience you are having in your moment. See the rainbow arc stretched on either side of you, extending your moment, opening the time to savor it. If you are sitting and not doing anything in particular, savor the feeling of having time. Savor the feeling of the chair supporting your weight. Stretch your body out and savor the ease with which your muscles respond to your brain without you even realizing it. If you think about it, you can find so much to savor in that moment that it stretches out to the other end of the rainbow where your next moment begins.

Have a great day in the present moment,