Living In The Moment

I'm sitting at my desk, looking at the calendar and getting ready to cross off today as if the day were already over. It's 7:20am. There are so many wonderful things that could happen today. Why do I already want this day to be over? Because at this time in my life I want time to go quickly! I bring myself back to what I have learned from yoga and meditation and try to enjoy each moment. I have a wonderful day planned. Why do I want it to be over?

Do you remember when you were a small child and the concept of time was unclear? You'd ask questions like "When is my birthday?" or "How much longer until Christmas?" or as you're driving in the car "When will we get there?" We all wanted time to "hurry up." We couldn't wait to say we were 5 1/2 or 5 3/4. When we were in high school we couldn't wait until graduation, we were counting the days until our 16th birtday and we could drive. We were always wishing for time to pass quickly. When kids came along we were hoping the bad stages of childhood passed uneventfully, while we enjoyed the peaceful stages and hoped they would last forever.

At a certain stage of life you realize how precious each day is, and that wishing your life away detracts from enjoying life to its fullest. Many times I catch myself saying that I wish this stage of my life were over but I force myself back to the moment. This time in my life may turn out to be one of the happiest times for me. I look at each day as an adventure, a new chance to learn something new, help another person, make the world a better place in some way, and of course have fun. I do know that I have found out in the last nine months that I can do things I never thought possible. My challenge each day is to stay on course, not mark the days off on my calenday at 7:30am, to live with excitement and anticipation for what this day may bring.

My mother-in-law had it right when she said "don't wish your life away." She said to enjoy what you're doing and don't always be waiting for the next event. I like what Jerry Seinfeld said many years ago when i saw him in a live show. He talked about people always hurrying to get to the next event in their life and never enjoying what they were doing. You tell your dinner guests you have to go home. Why? To get ready for tomorrow. You're out for lunch and you have to get home to get ready for the next thing you've got planned. As a result, many of us don't enjoy what we're doing. We're thinking about what we have to do next.

So living in the moment is what it's all about for me. I have not crossed today off my calendar. I have several exciting things planned, and who knows what else will come up? That's one of the great things about life to me. The unexpected. Time will move at it's own pace whether I like it or not. I choose to enjoy this pace and this time.