Be happy in the moment, that’s enough. Each moment is all we need, not more. – Mother Teresa
Some of my favorite memories are from my childhood; enjoying the wonders of the world – smelling the fragrance after it rained, watching the clouds float through the beautiful blue sky, and strapping a basket onto my bike to collect wildflowers that normally went unnoticed. These everyday moments were extraordinary to me.
As we go through life, we gain more responsibilities, worries, and past experiences to ponder on. We may look at how we compare to others and what we are accomplishing. Life becomes a whirlwind as we are trying to live up to certain standards and expectations. We can let others define what should make us happy, losing sight of what is truly important to us. I know how easily this happens because it happened in my own life. I eventually came to the point where I needed to regain the childlike wonder I once had and being aware or mindful of the things that naturally brought me happiness in the present moment helped me do this.
Mindful awareness doesn’t come automatically or easily for some people, and it definitely isn’t easy for me. We tend to worry about what might happen in the future or think about things that have happened in the past. All the negative things in life draw our attention. To counteract the negative in the world that steals our joy, we need to focus on the positive moments. Focusing on the positive moments in the present not only helps us to see the beauty in that specific moment, it also helps us to cope and recover more quickly from those moments in life that aren’t so beautiful. Being mindful of the present moment helps us not dwell on negative thoughts and emotions we may have throughout the day, helping us manage the stress we may encounter in our daily life. Paying attention to and appreciating the present moment helps remind us that beauty does exist in the world, even when the trials of life bombard us. In the present moment we aren’t thinking about how something is good or bad, or how something should or shouldn’t be. We are in the present moment as it is, not as we wish it would be. This place can be found as we admire the breathtaking beauty of the sunset, savor our morning coffee, and enjoy the warm water as we take a shower.
Present moment awareness helps us stop the whirlwind of our lives and notice the magic inside each moment. Feeling the warmth of the sunshine on our skin after a long cold winter, listening to our favorite song, or seeing the smile on a loved one’s face are wondrous but simple joys that we often ignore or take for granted. We are mindlessly going about our lives, often deep in our thoughts – cheating ourselves of these wonders in our life, as they go unnoticed. Mindfulness can allow us to see our habitual activities through childlike eyes, transforming the everyday moments into extraordinary moments. Developing our ability to see the ordinary moments as extraordinary allows us to truly appreciate these moments we take for granted. As we stop taking the everyday moments of our daily life for granted, the things we have regarded as the most simple and ordinary can bring us the most happiness.
There have been many precious moments in my life that I missed by not being present. As I spend many hours working in the garden, this allows many simple moments to enjoy. While being lost in my thoughts, I was unaware of the wonders of the world surrounding me. I missed feeling the softness of the soil while I planted seeds, hearing the melody of different songs the birds were singing, and admiring the amazing beauty of the flowers blooming around me. Learning to be more attentive has helped me to notice and appreciate the simple moments life has to offer – helping me to see the everyday wonders of the world I enjoyed as a child.
There are wonders in every moment waiting for us to notice them. The moments we previously thought as ordinary can suddenly become some of our biggest blessings. As you become more aware, these blessings start to appear everywhere. Writing down the everyday moments in your life that you are thankful for and are extraordinary to you helps you to recognize these positive present moments throughout the day. Your childlike wonders of the world will magically start revealing themselves to you.
Reference:
Yi-Yuan, T., Posner, M., Holzen, B. (2015, March) The neuroscience of mindfulness meditation. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 16(4).