Be. Here. Now. These are simple words, and yet I sometimes forget them. I can spend my moments thinking of other moments, and my days planning other days. My minutes focused on anything, everything, but where I actually am at that instant and how I actually feel at that instant. So I’ve started playing with being more conscious, more mindful, and more fully here, now.
I notice my breath when I’m breathing, and pay attention to my feet as they touch the ground. I watch for reactions in my body and call them out – the excited feeling in my belly, the speeding up of my heart beat, the warmth that fills me when I am with, or think of, the people I love.
I try not to judge my reactions and actions. I try not to judge the thoughts that pop into my mind, or the visions that pop into my thoughts. I, again, aim to be that vessel that allows feelings, reflections, and opinions to flow through me. To not assess, appraise, analyze, or evaluate, but to just let things be. To let me be. Be Here Now.
I make extra effort to notice the beauty of the world around me – as simple as red berries on a bush, or the hugeness of the full moon. I make extra effort to notice the beauty of the people around me. I appreciate the ones I know and love, and respond with curiosity and kindness to the strangers I meet along the way. I wave “Hi” to the little girl at the train station who is calling out “Hello” to everyone who passes her, and smile when I notice the joy in others’ lives and faces.
There is so much in the here and now, even when the here and now is hard. There’s the opportunity to move through what’s hard and still be okay, and the opportunity to learn and practice new skills and approaches. To find the good, even in a mountain of not so good (or even bad).
Be. Here. Now. It’s a challenge and an opportunity. It’s a goal and a blessing. There is much in my now for me to enjoy. I’m going to be here now.
