In The Moment

Happy Monday! 

Speaking of happiness, I hope your weekend was joyful and the new year’s adventures have begun in earnest! The challenges have also started for some of us. I’ve been in contact with some people who feel like a truck hit them for various reasons but have rallied to claim their peace and composure.

Others of us have had the great fortune of extending the holiday spirit into the new year with birthdays, anniversaries, and celebrating new family members! In my home, we had the joy of celebrating my younger daughter’s birthday. I am still trying to figure out where the time has gone!

I sat at the table with her long-time friends and marveled at how proud I was of these young people. Each has made a distinctive contribution to the lives of others while securing significant jobs with promising futures. Most of them have begun making investments and are planning for any eventuality. Not too bad for young people in their late twenties and early thirties! In retrospect, I wish I had the foresight that they have, but I’m satisfied with filling their heads with a thirst for knowledge and an understanding of their responsibilities in life.

I’m also impressed by their collective and individual abilities to remain in the moment, exploring their thoughts and finding meaning and contentment in small pleasures. Unlike many adults with whom I come in contact, these young adults take time to chase fun and lightheartedness and implement effective self-care measures. Of course, many feel that young people are lazy and unmotivated, and I’m sure that’s true of a percentage of the population. However, some have taken seriously the need to slow things down a bit from time to time and enjoy simple pleasures.

Thich Nhat Hanh eloquently stated the sentiments I felt with the following words:

I wonder why we don’t make a daily effort to be attentive to the joy and happiness surrounding us. Instead, we neglect what is a primary tenant and dwell on the problematic and challenging, hoping our moods will change and our lives will somehow feel different.

As with anything worth attaining, we must practice healthy thought habits to change our serious and sometimes harmful defaults to more positive ponderances. We would be well-served to engage in some thought-stopping techniques and rewrite our narratives to allow our wonderfully created minds to seek happiness.

Scripture teaches us that joy is a spiritual fruit in Galatians 5:2.

“But the fruit of the Spirit [the result of His presence within us] is love [unselfish concern for others], joy, [inner] peace, patience [not the ability to wait, but how we act while waiting], kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such things, there is no law.” (AMP)

I appreciate the same verse in this version, as well:

“But what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, and serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.” (MSG)

A friend shared with me the other day that he’s so tired of being sad he decided not to be. Such a simple statement, but often we try to make things more complicated than they have to be. When we decide to be attentive to the present moment, we make a pathway for things to change for the better.

We can learn to appreciate our scars in the light of the moment. We’re able to notice more than usual when we’re attentive. And we can take the initiative to begin thought-stopping processes to assist us in writing new and improved narratives. What a fantastic concept to employ as we enter into 2023!

Let’s take time this week to be attentive to our inner thoughts and find those glimpses of joy and happiness. Have fun exploring and taking the time to enjoy each moment!

Be Well & Be Blessed!

Lucinda