Savoring the moment

"The places you are not in and the people you are not currently with are almost always romanticized. Remember that before you wish your life away."

Recently me and our youngest talked about wishing you were somewhere else or able to relive a certain time or event in life because, at least in your mind, "those were the good old days".

As the conversation went along, we discussed how we actually felt, what was actually going on, and why it was we held those times and places as "the good old days" in our minds.

In reality, when we actually going through those times in those places, we did NOT necessarily feel at the moment that they were good times.

It was/is only in retrospect that we see that relative to other times in life that we realize some of those earlier times were better than not - "you don't know what you've got until it's gone".

At the time you are going through things you might not think they are that impressive or that big of a deal; it's only when you look back that you realize how good or special those moments were or are.

You've probably seen the meme going around that says, "One day, back when you were a child, you went outside to play with your friends for the last time, not knowing it was the last time."

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One of the key ways of re-wiring your mind is to begin to be mindful of and grateful for the moments you're in and not always be looking forward or backward.

It's kind of like when we used to go on vacation and we "needed" to take a picture of everything, to the degree that a lot of time was used in taking pictures instead of enjoying the moment.

One of the re-learning things for me with faith has been to enjoy what is now and not just waiting for "up yonder" when "everything will be heaven and/or good beyond our wildest dreams".

There's something about that kind of thinking - that this life is just hard and full of suffering and we just have to put up with it till we die - that absolutely ruins the ability to be grateful for the life now.

When I read Paul's writings, I can see he was really going through it and had some very harsh and difficult circumstance here and yet, he seemed to have learned contentment.  And the key word there is "learned".

Paul actually says that very thing in his letter to the Philippians - that he had learned - not that he'd been miraculously given contentment, but that he too had to learn it.

We all yearn for things and think ahead to the unknown, even Paul did - but here and now is a blessing or a good thing as well - we've just learned in our culture not to be aware of it or to think of it that way.

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Think about it - when is the last time you savored a meal?  Not necessarily a really nice meal, but just regular old food.  Actually taking time to enjoy the flavor and the experience of eating it.

When is the last time you savored being with someone?  Not necessarily a special, planned moment, but just a moment - a conversation, an interaction.  Actually enjoying and experiencing the moment.

And the same with music, work, exercise, talking to God, painting a wall, etc - you name it - we experience a lot of things without actually taking the time to enjoy and appreciate them.

It's kind of like eating really fast and not tasting your food or driving a good distance and realizing you don't really remember your drive, having zoned out for most of the trip.

Living in a culture where we're pretty constantly looking forward to the next thing steals the joy and appreciation for the moment you are in.

It's not to say a person or group can't plan ahead and plant seeds for the next harvest or invest for the future, but it is to say that kind of thinking and doing cannot be what dominates your life.

That kind of thinking and doing has a place in life, but only a place - it is not life itself. Too much of business, education, religion, and other areas of life have lived there too long and there is a high cost.

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A lot of the trauma and baggage that people collect in life is handed to them by people and situations where life was out of balance and its consequences spilled over onto those who happened to be there.

It's probably hard to imagine it, but we do live in a time when exponential change on many levels or in different areas of life have kept people and groups off balance for decades.

Growing up in all kinds of change - social, technological, religious, governmental, educational, etc - is very different from growing up in stability and seasonal rhythms.

For many, to reclaim a level of sanity and re-wire our minds for a better baseline of operations, it means that we have to become our own entrepreneurs, our own guides...or in other words, self-responsible. 

No longer can you afford to take experts at their word, even the ones you might like, because you know you need to have a deeper understanding, even if it's just an awareness of knowing you'll not know.

Those around us who say the sky is falling or the wolf is coming, etc - they may well intentioned, but they don't have your interests in mind - they usually want attention and your compliance for something.

Take a lot of deep breaths.  Take in "news" with an awareness that it is some amount of "fact" or "truth" that is being told to you with someone's framework and the framework is usually the actual important part.

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More on all that later.  Just a few things I'd written down over the past several months.

Savor something today.  A beverage, going to the toilet, a walk in the yard, a hug, a song...anything.

Enjoy.  You'll be fine.

Grace and peace

19/25