Being in the Moment: A September Walk
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Is Fall Near?
September greeted me this morning with cool air. I was shocked when my weather app told me it was 48 degrees. After checking to make sure it wasn’t accidentally set to Celsius, I stumbled out of bed. looking forward to coffee and a morning walk. This was a stark contrast to recent weeks when it was impossible to get up early enough to miss the heat or the air filled with smoke from summer fires.
In Colorado, the weather tends to extremes. If we’re lucky, we have a few weeks of Fall and Spring. Then it’s either freezing or in the 90’s. I exaggerate, sure. But this is what it feels like. Ask anyone.
The Grass is Always Greener
It doesn’t help that I hate the heat. For the past 15 years I’ve wanted nothing more than to live in Scotland. Or Canada. Or someplace that isn’t here. Somewhere the summer highs never surpass 70. Someplace devoid of US politics and the growing meanness spawned by privilege and lack of knowledge. But I digress.
But it turns out the downside of always wanting something else is you don’t tend to appreciate what you have.
A Zen Moment
So, this morning I walked my neighborhood. The sidewalks usually host a few dog walkers or quarantine crazed stroller pushers but, today, only silence. Except for the distant road traffic, I was only aware of the cool breeze in my face and the taste of black coffee in my mouth. It was a perfect moment.
Five Easy(ish) Ways to Be in the Moment
I admit, I haven’t taken mindfulness courses or listened to YouTubers talk about it. I do meditate on occasion, and I always intend to get back to a Yoga practice, though I usually find excuses to procrastinate. But after years of struggling to be in the moment, here’s what I do know.
1. Get rid of the should’s. When our minds are on everything we should be doing instead of being in the moment, the moments pass us by. As resident Queen of the shoulds, I should know.
2. Slow down. Smell the roses? Or the coffee? Whatever cliché floats your boat. Just. Slow. Down. Take a deep breath. Anything can wait for at least. A. Moment.
3. Look around. Where are you? What are you feeling? What does your body feel like? In this age of constant distractions, how much attention do you actually give yourself?
4. Listen to your heart. When was the last time you felt your heart energy? Our heads tend to take over and tell us what we should do. How we should feel. What we should want. But it’s a fraud, ‘cause it doesn’t really know what we want. Only our heart knows.
5. Breathe. I sometimes forget to breathe, do you? Being conscious of our breath helps to center us, so we can hear what our heart wants. Breath deep. Breathe often.
It sounds simple, but in our quick paced reality, filled with more sensory input than a human can handle, being with ourselves, in the moment, and allowing ourselves to “feel,” requires conscious thought and effort for most of us. I know it doesn’t come naturally for me.