I read a quote today that really got me thinking. "It's only in the present moment that we find real happiness, love, or wisdom." If we're reminiscing about the past or anticipating the future, we're not enjoying our life as it is. I'm completely guilty of that. It's impossible to always be in the moment, but I think it behooves me to just take things as they come.
I enjoy fond memories, and I love my time in fantasy land for the future, but truly, my happiness is definitely in a single moment, changing into the next single moment. It's as simple as watching a squirrel bound across the street. Life is always changing, it is never stagnant.
It's hard not to anticipate upcoming events, like my next MRI on the 25th, but I am making a conscious effort to just take it easy. To me, taking it easy, is finding things in my surroundings that make me smile. It's as simple as the smell from the laundry when I'm folding clean clothes. Or, it's a leaf that's suspended in an almost invisible spiderweb imitating a baby bird (that actually happened this morning - it was freaky).
Living in Greenlake has opened me up to a whole new world. There are cars driving past our window, kids walking to school, joggers racing by, squirrels running with nuts in their mouths, and the wind constantly swirling things all over the place. I feel alive here. When I'm stressed (for example just about an hour ago), I bundle up, walk over to the lake and wander around on the path. I have a massive park just outside my doorstep. It's unbelievable. Earlier, I even went in the rain. For my college friends, they will be shocked. In the past, I blow dried my hair to perfection, then either flat ironed it or made the perfect waves to look natural. If my hair was going to get ruined by weather, I wouldn't go outside. It's embarrassing. Now, I toss on a raincoat, lace up my sneakers, and throw frizzy hair to the wind. What a change!
I feel lucky. I'm happy to be alive.
