Living in the Moment

I believe Jesus lived in the moment. He taught that our focus should not be on tomorrow but on today, the now, the present time. It does not appear he had to force himself to get out of bed every morning to slog through one more day just to get by to make it to the weekend. Recognizing that his time on earth was short, he valued every moment, viewing each hour as an opportunity for work, fellowship and fun, remaining fully present (mind, body, spirit) in every situation, relationship and interaction. All we're assured of in life is the very moment in which we're living. We should not squander the present by bringing the future into every waking thought.

This can be an especially tough time of year to abide by this mentality for those who are tired of winter and ready for spring. With every cool and cloudy day that passes, impatience for spring intensifies. I know there are some for whom cold weather is physically painful due to arthritis or other ailments, and that is understandable, but it seems this is perhaps more than offset by those who suffer from allergies, and other miserable conditions associated with warmer weather. My suspicion is that even more than longing for the delights of springtime, many are looking for a "perfect" day. That day when it's 72 degrees outside, with an unclouded sky, when no problems arise, no aches and pains assail us and no one is unpleasant to be around. Like Goldilocks, we want everything to be "just right."

That sort of perfect day exists mostly in fairy tales. If it does come along once or twice every twelve months or so, does that pinnacle keep us joy-filled for the rest of the year? Or does it serve to make us disappointed the majority of the time because our high expectations are not met? Rather than those rarely attained, idealized days, I believe every day can be perfect in its own way. The kind of perfection I'm thinking of comes from living in the moment. Deciding, as Ralph Waldo Emerson did, to "Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." 

No matter the weather, no matter what befalls me, no matter what or who I find irritating, I must remind myself that my attitude is my choice. I alone allow my situation to ruin my day or not. If it's a circumstance I cannot change, the weather, for example, it does not have to control me or my mood. If there's a situation I can change, I must decide whether I should change it or live with it and find joy in the midst of it. Either way, any way I look at it, I do know, for me personally, I am blessed truly beyond measure. I want the knowledge of this fact to drive my existence, serving as a reminder to make the choice to make every moment matter.