I’m sure you’ve heard the phrases “live in the moment,” or “just live in the now.” Easier said than done. The irony remains, the more you think about living in the moment, the less you can actually live in the moment. It’s the classic ceaseless cycle of trying not to think about something, only to find yourself unable to think about anything else.
So, what does ‘being present’ really mean? Being present means different things to different people. You can be present when you feel connected to the people you’re with; you can be present when you feel connected to your own thoughts, or even your environment. At the end of the day, being present is a feeling. You are either present or you’re not. It’s as simple, yet elusive, as that.
Thinking back on moments in your life when you really felt in the moment, what did that look like for you? How did it feel? For me, it reminds me of the feelings I would have as a kid after leaving the movie theater. I would be so wrapped up in the movie and the characters that I’d forget about the outside world completely. Now when I’m living in the moment, I still forget about the outside world completely, not artificially, but organically. I forget about my to-do list, my responsibilities, and even the innate urge to eat.
But we have yet to address the popular phenomenon of practicing presence.
Although people have been practicing mindfulness and meditation for thousands of years, it’s seen a recent eruption thanks to the convenience of mobile applications and smart phones. I say the “pretentious” pretext of presence here because many people profess you can choose to live in the moment. As idyllic as that may be, we’d all choose that route if it were that simple. Odds are, if someone tells you to just live in the moment, they’re not living in the moment themselves.
Instead of pressuring others to be present, let’s try empowering them instead. Everyone experiences mindfulness differently; everyone has different motivations to be present.
For me, being present means feeling connected to myself and my own thoughts, my surroundings (especially nature), and the people I’m with. It means choosing to focus on making the most out of the present rather than falling down the rabbit hole of things to do, people to see, and places to go.
Living in the moment means accepting things as they are and choosing to see the light in every situation. Everything we’re experiencing now will soon be a memory, and memories aren’t nearly as fun to reminisce on as they are to be 100% engulfed in as the moments happens. Life is too long not to enjoy it.
Happy World Meditation Day! Namaste my friends 🙂
For my personal blog, follow: https://poemsandprose.travel.blog/
For a similar article I wrote on How To Love The Repetition of Life, read: https://wiseandshinezine.com/2020/01/10/how-to-love-the-repetition-of-life/