Embrace the Moments

By Dr. Marlo Archer

Music. Colors. Nature. Animals. Jokes. Nutritious, Delicious Food. A Friend’s Smile. Hugs. Bubbles, Familiar, Pleasant Aromas, an Infant’s Laugh. A Snuggly Blanket. A Cool Breeze. A Comfortable Chair. A Few Quiet Moments. The Loyal Companionship of a Pet, Shoes that Fit, Hearing Some Good News, A Slightly Larger Paycheck than Expected, Floating, Sleeping, A Post-Nap Stretch, Accomplishing a Goal.

How many experiences can you name that are just simple, beautiful, pleasant, that ask nothing of us in return, and that may also disappear as quickly as they came along?

Life is full of so many wonders all around us that if we took the time to stop and enjoy all of them, we’d never get to work, or finish our lunch, or get through the latest novel. However, if we don’t ever stop to appreciate any of them, we may waste really valuable time pursuing all sorts of things that never really do us any good.

If I rush through my delicious breakfast to get out and do a morning jog, I may miss much of the nourishment that good food has to offer me, emotionally, not just physically, and I’ll just be hungry again in another hour.  If I merely concentrate on getting my exercise over with, I will likely miss all the beauty in nature that I will pass, smiles that could have been shared with other humans, and treasures on the ground that other hurried people carelessly left behind. My body might get more fit, but my soul and my mind may remain tense, anxious, and preoccupied with the next goal.

If I then focus on driving my car carefully through dangerous traffic and avoiding deadly accidents, I may miss the joy of listening to music or entertaining talk shows during the trip. The time it takes to get to work is gone with no record of it other than that I arrived at my employer’s. How many fellow drivers could I have noticed, observed, acknowledged, and given even the slightest polite nod to that might have enhanced not only their ride, but my own.

And, of course, a whole career can be rushed through in order to get to some sort of retirement that no one is promised, few can afford, and to which even the most prepared rarely transition smoothly. If we simply endure each workday as a means to an ends, we will lose all the valuable moments that make life worth living in the first place.

The Practice of Slowing Down

Today, please join me in slowing down, embracing individual lovely moments, being kind to yourself and others. Before you know it, this will all be over and the only downside to that is if you missed it all rushing to the end.

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