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.
