LIFE HAPPENS
Have you ever felt like you have so much to do and not enough time to do them? Like there are not enough hours in the day! Before you know it you’re stuck in this seemingly interminable and brutal cycle called life where your growth, peace and happiness are no longer priorities but instead your goals are to pay the bills, take care of your kids, go to work, eat, get a little sleep, and repeat. It feels like you are being drained of your substance and that enthusiasm for life and your future is now a distant dream.
While there are some people out there who are ‘killin’ it’ there are others like myself, who are learning as we go and slowly developing skills to survive in the ‘jungle out here’. For those of you who are not quite there yet but you’re doing the best you can to make life work, I want to share with you something I’m learning to apply to my daily life to break away from the cycle and it all begins with one simple step; being present. What do I mean by this?
AHA MOMENT
During my mediation one morning, God revealed to me that one of the reasons I feel stuck is because I have not mastered the skill of being present. When was the last time you stopped to look at the sky? To just bask in the beauty and wonders of the day, feel the gentle caress of the wind against your skin, listen to the faint chirp of the birds in the trees above the cacophonic sounds of honking horns, murmuring engines and screaming motorists? The truth is if we were to be honest with ourselves we don’t do these things. In fact, they were a lot easier to do when we were children especially because our hardest decision might have been what colour we should put on Mickey Mouse today.
Isn’t it funny how we could gaze at the sky for extended periods of time with our friends and not get bored but we just have no time or view this very therapeutic scenery as valueless? Now, we’re adults and meaningful ‘adulting’ takes work and is hard. Stuff start to get real and we suddenly realize that maybe we were not exactly ready for it but we have to do this thing anyway.
Being present means tapping into your inner child even for a brief moment of the day. There are so many blessings awaiting you packaged in the next person you’ll meet at the park or football field, or even at the gym but you will never access them if you never make time for them to happen. The reality is, we cannot adjust how many hours are in the day but we can plan our lives in such a way that we stand to benefit as well and this is supported by Biblical truths; ‘Do not worry about tomorrow; it will have enough worries of its own. There is no need to add to the troubles each day brings.’ (Matthew 6:30). I’m in no way saying you’re not supposed to be responsible by making sure your obligations are met and that you should have a carefree attitude to life. While that might sound inviting, the repercussions for such actions will be devastating.
On the contrary, my proposal is that you simply take life one day at a time. If you should think of it, worrying doesn’t solve anything. Instead, it causes anxiety which leads to stress, stress causes serious illnesses and diseases, which has a spiraling effect by causing a dent in our finances as we now have to be seeking treatment, resulting in poverty which causes more stress and the cycle continues until we die. This is not the life God intended for us and I’m sure this is not the way I imagined my life would be as a child when I would flip through my mom’s old magazines and point out the house or car of my dreams. Something went wrong somewhere and it begins with, you guessed it; not being present. Jesus Himself knew life would be tough and this is why he makes this declaration in the book of St. Matthew. And if He who holds our future can make such a bold statement, why shouldn’t we at least try it? I mean, what do we have to lose?
TAKING MY OWN ADVICE
I’m the kind of person who is only willing to take advice from people who have been there and done that and have proof of whatever it is they’re selling. If I can’t see the fruit of your labour, I’m not buying. So I tried doing this last weekend; you know ‘being present’…a couple of my friends just carpooled and we drove for almost two hours into the city and it was so therapeutic to walk along the boardwalk while eating ice-cream and catch up with my friends. We laughed and talked over dinner and after exhausting the day, we journeyed back home.
It had been a while since I did something like that but I enjoyed it thoroughly. Mark you, I had paperwork to catch up on and I had stuff to do at home but I went anyway and in those moments, I forgot all about work and my chores. And guess what? The paperwork? They got done and on-time too. I knew they had to be done so I made time to do them but it didn’t stop me from being I the moment with my friends and enjoy the beauty of nature. People make time for things that are important to them and if you realize that you’re not spending quality time on you but everything and everyone else are getting this precious commodity, then I hate to say it but you’re not making yourself a priority.
CHALLENGE
What have you been putting off lately? What has been taking up so much of your time and energy that you’re unable to enjoy life? Whatever it is, I challenge you to be present starting today. Stop for a few minutes. Take a walk around the block, play a game with your child or children, take a road trip, breathe. I promise, you will be energized and rearing to go when you’re done. One day at a time, one step at a time.
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