Be Present

Life is not fun most of the time.  I, for one, find myself rushing through the ordinary day to day stuff, all the while dreaming about my 'someday', which is a long way off, of course.  But every once in a while I have a lucid moment in which I am fortunate enough to hear the little voice inside that says "Be present".  And then I force myself to be aware of the exquisite simplistic beauty of everyday life.  It is all I have for now and it may be all I will ever have.  None of us knows how many tomorrows we will have.  How ridiculous it is to not take in whatever pleasure we can from everyday life.  It is possible to find pleasure, even physical comfort, in something as mundane as washing dishes.  This morning I removed two of my favorite coffee mugs from the dishwasher and noticed some coffee rings on the inside of them.  So I filled the sink with warm soapy water and left them to soak for a few minutes.  When I came back to wash them by hand, the sun had moved around to that window over the kitchen sink.  It was a chilly morning and as I sank my hands into the warm, sudsy water, I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment. The feeling of the warm water on my hands, the smell of the scented detergent, and the sun on my face felt truly indulgent.  I took my time washing the mugs in a leisurely fashion.  Then I went through my cupboard and found a few more cups that looked like they could use a good washing also.

I've been spending a lot of time lately just appreciating the simple things.  As I'm writing this, I remember something I wrote one day in September as I was sitting out on the deck:

Warm, sunny September afternoon, like juicy plum juice running down your chin.  Makes you feel like lying down in a sunny patch for a nap.  Even the sound of the wasps buzzing around the window is a friendly, lazy sound.  I want to close my eyes and hold onto the sound and the warmth, keeping it for a little longer.  I feel a sense of urgency to drink in every moment like this, knowing these days are numbered.  A small shower overnight has brought forth the perfume of the fall leaves and it is intoxicating.  The cat lies in the sun, eyes closed, yet I know he is not sleeping – the soft rumble coming from deep inside his chest is a dead giveaway.  This is how I feel about my life right now.  Every moment feels exquisite and I want to savor it and examine it, memorizing every aspect of it.  So many people and things that are dear to me are at a turning point.   For me, a sudden life-threatening illness this summer that could have been fatal really threw me off-balance for a while.  I feel as though I've been granted a bonus and I need to use every moment wisely, the same way one would savor every bite in a box of gourmet chocolates.

Use your days wisely, be present, find ways to see the beauty in everything you do.