It’s easy to be in the moment when we are playing with children. They tend to give every ounce of energy to the task at hand, climbing a ladder to the slide or swinging as high as they can go. In play, there is only now. The future is not part of tag or hide-and-seek. Imagination is about what children create here, now, as they act it out by themselves or with a peer.
I have trouble being in the present. I frequently say that I really want to work on being present, living in the moment. I chose the word Selah as a word for the year, because I recognize that I need to intentionally pause and be here, now. And yet.
Life seems to be relentless in putting up roadblocks to our peaceful co-existence with
'today'. I worry too much about what is going to happen in a world. with so much inequality and injustice, as well as a meanness that is now politically correct. So how can we be present, to live this life today, one day at a time, when there is so much that propels us to go forward, away from all we see today? How do we learn to be in the moment, again, and embrace what is being gifted to us in today?
Back to play. I take my grandchildren to the park frequently because I love it as much as they do. They make instant friends that they will probably never see again, but right now, they are connected. to one another. I am not trying to trivialize the concerns that adults have about what is going on in the world today, as though swinging for a while can take those cares away. But I do think there are lessons to be learned about accepting what is before us, now, and seeing how to adjust without losing our joy, our playfulness.
I think we can approach life in the present tense. What can we fix, right now. How can we be kind to others, right now. How can we teach tolerance and acceptance through our words and actions, right now. We aren't children anymore but we can practice the mindfulness that comes to them so naturally. I am trying. I think my impact on the world will be more positive if I worry less about what is coming and try harder to make this moment significant to positive change. I hope you can join me.
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