May You Really Own It, Each Moment to the Next
“May you really own it, each moment to the next” – an excerpt from the song Have It All by Jason Mraz
Live in the moment. You hear that a lot. But what does that really mean? What does that look like? How do you actually live in the moment?
In order to understand that, I think we need to recognize just how much time we spend each day, not being in the moment. In this society where multitasking is a virtue, it’s pretty easy to go the entire day without doing it. We have daily tasks that become so routine, our bodies can do it automatically. Getting dressed while checking over the day’s to do list. Driving while going over the multiplication table with your child. Cooking dinner while chatting about all the things that happened during the day.
I’m not saying this is wrong. We all do some form of it, including me. There’s just so much going on around us all the time, I think we would get too overwhelmed if we paid attention to every little thing. But at the same time, there’s probably a good reason why so many sages from the past has left us messages about living in the moment.
I heard one of my favorite reiki teachers, Yoko Tsuji, say that when we are angry, it’s about the past. When we’re worried, we’re thinking about the future. But when we’re thankful, you are in the moment. I think that’s key.
When you live in the moment, you become grateful for all the little things. If you get dressed in the moment, for example, you might feel gratitude for being healthy enough to do it all on your own. You might feel lucky that you have many clothing options. You can feel gratitude for the people who made the clothing. From those who made the fabric and the buttons to those who sewed it, shipped it, and sold it, so many people are involved!
Of course, increased gratitude is not the only benefit to living in the moment. But I think it’s a pretty good reason to practice fitting it into your life at least once a day.