19. Living in the Present Moment Part 1

Hello Friends,

A very good day/night to you all. A few years ago I started living in and for the present moment. This was not always the case. There were times when I thought of the past or dreamt about the future neglecting the simple joys which were existing at the moment. Be it watching the setting sun which I could see from my house or the suns rays lining the clouds as they skimmed over the sea surface. (My previous house atop a hill overlooking the sea. Oh, how I miss it!). 

Then I happened to read some books in the self help categories specially spiritual ones which advised living in the present moment. Somehow the magazines and even the newspaper seemed to have articles related to this topic.(Or was it the reflection of my own mind which felt the need subconsciously? ) So I thought a lot about it and tried my level best to practice it in life. However, I do admit that I have not been able to achieve this to the level of spiritual leaders even now (kudos to them).

But I was not even anywhere near it because:

• I think it's good to remind yourself of your past mistakes once a while to prevent repeating them(excuse for brooding)
• I also think it is good to dream, visualize and thereby envisage a better future in order to fulfill future aspirations(excuse for day dreaming). 
• Should we not worry about the future? asked my rebelling mind. Having grown up studying "The Ant and the Grasshopper" (Aesop Fables) and the likes  left me with a desire(unfulfilled) to be as industrious as the ants catering for future though by no way can I be called a grasshopper ! 

I relented because:

• All these great masters and preachers who emphasize the importance of the present moment and whom I revere cannot be wrong. 
• Why think of past mistakes only when you can think of the good happenings of the past too?(Nudges of my positive mind). 
• Failing to enjoy the present moment in the process of thinking of the past or future is foolhardy.

 I took a path midways. As far as possible I began to live in the present moment. Living in the present moment does not mean you are oblivious of your past or the future it simply means concentrating on the job and also the acts at hand. It is really very easy but you got to practice it deliberately for some time only then it becomes second nature to you. 

I started by concentrating on eating(the easiest), chewing food etc. mindfully,  even when I drank water I started being mindful of the act of filling my glass, sitting down etc. The same concept is to be applied for every act. When you are reading a book enjoy what you are reading and do not worry of some unfinished work(I always did, but at the same time I could not put away the book) a better way which I have learnt to follow is either put down the book, finish the work and get back to reading or else take breaks after a chapter, finish a part of the work and continue reading. Do each bit of work with concentration.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s (You may read about him Here) key teaching is that, through mindfulness, we can learn to live happily in the present moment—the only way to truly develop peace, both in one’s self and in the world.

So friends that's all for today, I hope you too feel that living in the present moment to the best of our abilities makes life zealous. As usual I leave you with a thought  by a thinker until the next post with the hope that you always enjoy and utilize each and every present moment to the fullest. 

"Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And Today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present."---B. Olatunji.

Thank you for reading.
Regards,

THE CONTENTS OF THIS BLOG ARE

  

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