Are you happy in your here-and-now? I am. Two examples of how I can look up from my keyboard and feel joy in the present moment:#1: Brett visits later this month. As much as I'm looking forward to seeing my son, I'm not spending time yearning for that face-to-face family hug. Please don't think I'm a bad mom -- It's just that I spend a lot of happy moments with Brett these days. It can be on his way to lunch, or Ilana's, or a work appointment, or a gig. Cell phone to my ear, I walk side-by-side with Brett across the miles. We share stuff like NYC traffic hubbub...grocery shopping...getting directions delivering a client poster...or dragging amp and guitar home from a performance. I could be involved in a deadline and suddenly the iPhone chimes. Never thought a walk to the subway could be a powerful here-and-now moment in my life.
#2: The king of here-and-nows is Leigh. Without him I'd never have glanced at the sidelines in our 24/7 overstimulated freeway lifestyle. I'd be barreling ahead, still searching for the next adventure or trinket. (Because there's always something more around the corner, yes? Hmmm...) Although slowing down from a mad pursuit of endless dreams ain't always easy, with Leigh's help I'm getting comfortable re-focusing and re-balancing life in the present, in Tucson.
Sunset watching with Leigh is therapy in my evolving appreciation of the here-and-now. Simple pasta dinners on the patio are now preferred over most restaurant dining. From our vantage facing the Tucson Mountains (with the Catalinas framing the right and a slice of twinkling city lights on the left), we enjoy discerning the nuances Mother Nature offers us each night-- if we take the time to see it. So we marvel when monsoon clouds bring on a new dimension. Last night time stood still in the western sky with a simple, solid band of deep orange. I am sure there were beautiful sunsets back in New York, but I was never in the here-and-now long enough to see them.
What is your here-and-now experience today? Whether it's an iPhone walk home with your son or a sunset watch by yourself or with your partner -- the here-and-now is an incredibly powerful way to heal, strengthen and bring joy to life.
5 comments:
My here and now: I'm flipping through websites checking on things of interest to me and Fred is sitting next to me reading Backpacker Magazine. As each of us finds something to share we just comment out loud - its a stream of consciousness kind of moment - one minute he's telling me about how to identify a poisonous snake and I'm telling him a tidbit about Julia Child.
It is amazing (and sad) that it took so long for me to "enjoy the moment." Thanks, Margie, for sharing your version of here-and-now.
For me, I miss my sons and I want to be near them. Family is everything to me and I want to be near my sons. I own my home in Pennsylvania and feel I have the best of both worlds - the East Coast and coming back to Tucson as a snowbird. I learned that this year in Tucson and that I have unlimited options. I leave for Pennsylvania on Sept. 21. I am sorry we never got to know each other better. I believe you want to be near your son. Best of luck to you and Leigh.
Susan
You do have the best of both worlds, Susan. Enjoy them both - the family time and the desert. I understand how you feel about your sons. As for me, I've learned never to think anything is final - so who knows where the tide will take us in the future. Even if you're a snowbird I can still see you. You ain't leaving until September 21!
Words I really needed here and now :-)
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