Every day I awaken with the challenge
To be present in every moment
To stay in my body, grounded in the now
My attention cued to my task at hand
Every day I forget the present moment
As my mind pulls me back to the past or
Jumps ahead to future problems and worries
And so the push and pull continue.
I do not fail in this flipflop world
I am a spiritual being influenced by a human mind
Learning to balance my attention within my soul
And my world outside
The flipflop dance is part of life
I am part of life
The key is in giving my heart permission
To wander because it always finds home.
I am at the door welcoming me back in
And I am at the door wishing me well
As I wander out again.
All is well.
by Patricia A. Fleming Live in the moment, Just take it all in. Pay attention to everything, Right there and right then. Don’t let your mind wander To what’s coming next. Cherish this moment And give it your best. Don’t let tomorrow Make you rush through today, Or too many great moments Will just go to waste. And the person you’re with, In that moment you share, Give them all of your focus; Be totally there. Laugh till it hurts, Let the tears drop. Fill up each moment With all that you’ve got. Don’t miss the details; The lesson is there. Don’t get complacent; Stay sharp and aware. It can take but a moment To change your life’s path. And once it ticks by, There is no going back. In just 60 seconds, You may make a new friend. Find your true love, Or see a life start or end. You become who you are In those moments you live. And the growth’s not in taking But in how much you give. Life is just moments, So precious and few. Whether valued or squandered, It’s all up to you!
Participants’ Reflections:
Thank you for this reading and the poem. In the last couple days I felt it was warm enough to go outside and do barefoot in the grass and practice mindful movement. I focused on my cherry tree. Everywhere I can reach I’ve trimmed it and it has become lusher and thicker. Out of my reach, the branches are scraggly and tall. I see quite clearly the old growth that’s dark green and the new growth that is light green and they are both a part of that living tree. We each have our old growth and our new growth growing together.
I loved this reading and the reminder to be in the moment. I walked this morning. And while walking, I practice staying in the moment by reminding myself I am here and I wipe my slate clean. I start from this moment right now. Wiping the slate clean helps me stay present. Sometimes if worries creep in, I start counting cars or trucks or random things to keep my mind active while I’m walking. Then my mind doesn’t wander off into insane thinking of worries and fears. I pull my mind back to the present moment and that’s a way I stay present with me.
I loved both what you wrote and the poem. My experience as I was meditating, I noticed how quickly I left the moment and started thinking. Then I shifted into listening and touching my hands, trying to be in the moment through my senses. I was more able to sustain staying in the moment with my senses slightly longer. It requires gentleness and appreciation and no judgment. It happens in such fast moments in and out. It’s amazing. Compassion seems to be the key to everything in life.
This whole group practices staying in the moment. Someone said substitute the word ‘try’ for the word ‘practice’. I’m practicing being in the moment. That resonates with me. If I find my mind wandering, I say I’m practicing being in the moment and it feels more supportive. When I really am fully present and feel aligned, it’s usually when I have my camera. I don’t care what happens with the photographs; it’s the actual process. I am just there with the camera and nothing else exists. The process and mindset feel great. It’s when I am truly present in the moment.
I had an aha moment. I struggle staying in the present moment. It’s easier to float off into a fantasy. Instead, I can choose to focus back to the present as I seek the beauty around me. I feel pleasure and gratitude with art and nature. Taking photographs keeps me in the moment too. I wander off and return by looking through the lens and seeing the beauty around me.
Creativity requires focus, and focusing puts us right in the middle of the present moment, otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to focus on the creativity. It’s a wonderful way to gently guide ourselves back to the moment by finding the things that feed us. I think that’s why I like doing crafts.
My mind went wandering off to the cemetery. We have a tradition of placing flowers on the graves of our family members and I was focusing on the generations of those I knew and those I didn’t.
I wanted to share an app I found which really enriches my quiet time. It’s an app for bird calls. It picks up the sounds of birds and at the same time shows the hertz of the sound and identify the birds that belong to them. it’s wonderful. It also picks up other sounds in the environment. It helps me appreciate all the little sounds I tune out, even the far-off bird. I’ve discovered bird sounds I didn’t know were around me.
Thank you for joining us. Thank you for being part of this powerful circle we hold. Often times I write about things I struggle with. It’s important for me to hear it’s okay when I lose my center because I find my way back. I don’t choose to be harsh when I lose my way. I gently guide me back in the sense of a gentle parent guiding me back home. That’s what I’m cultivating. Sometimes I go off my row and find it again. I encourage you with gentleness to be the guiding, loving hand helping you find center again as you go about your day.
Photo credit: photographer Mary Schneider