The Power of Now

So, I've spent a month or so trying to pass on great ideas, tips, recipes, and ways for you to make your life more beautiful. But, dang, you're so busy shopping, planting, chopping and stirring that your life is more time-consuming than ever before. That's not the intention. So, let me set you straight.

The beautiful life is not about more work. It's not about competition (with yourself, Martha Stewart, or others). And it's certainly not about working so hard that you don't get to take advantage of your efforts.

Take a breath. Take a pause. Take in what's around you. And enjoy it. THAT's a beautiful life.

Easier said than done, right?

I have recently been reading a book I'd heard about for the last couple of years. The Power of Now. In my professional life, I am always looking forward. Planning. Anticipating what could go wrong. The next step. That mind-set spilled over into my personal and home life. I was always worried about the to do list. The grocery list. What was wrong and had to be fixed. That's certainly not the recipe for contentment.

I was reminded that there was more out there several Christmases ago. After a Christmas Eve of our families here for a big meal, there was much to be done. The kitchen was messy, there was wrapping paper on the floor, and the carpet needed a good vacuuming. And yet, for the first time in a long time, I was content. What prompted it? I was sitting on the couch with music playing on the stereo and simply looked at the things we had on our living room shelves. Pictures of family and friends. Objects from trips and shopping expeditions. Each thing had a story, and each thing conjured an emotion. Because I was immersed in those memories, the things that "had" to be done were far less important.

I needed to learn more though.

So, several months ago, I bought and started reading The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. I'll admit it gets a little too "Zen" for me sometimes. (A quote: "Knowing this enables you to observe the entity." Huh?) But it taught me something very valuable that I think we all should remember. Live in the moment. Don't ponder the past and don't worry about the future. Have the presence to be truly "present" in this moment right now.

All we do to make our lives beautiful is wasted if we don't take the time to observe and enjoy. After you make a great meal and pour a wonderful glass of wine, do you take the time and effort to be "present" enough to enjoy what you've accomplished? Or are you distracted by the TV and the chores still to be finished?

To achieve Tolle's ideal is difficult and requires a lot of practice. (I'm not there yet.) However, it's far easier to boil it down to the basics. And that's this. Take the time and mental effort to enjoy sensually every moment of your life. I put it to practice a couple of months ago on a deck in Oklahoma. We were on a Labor Day vacation with family at a lake house. The rest of the group was out on the boat, so I was by myself. I was reading The Power of Now and decided to see what I could accomplish. So, I concentrated on the sensory pleasures around me. The color of the leaves, bark, sky and ground. The sounds of birds, squirrels and wind in the trees. The smell of a distant fire. I concentrated on those things and the pressures of the world were lifted. I didn't worry about what was next...what needed to be done. It was heaven.

So, put those concepts to practice in your own life. Find time every day to take it all in. Breathe and smell. Look. Hear. Taste. Feel. After you've prepared a meal, turn off the TV and concentrate on what you're experiencing. Even better, put it into words. Describe it. Enjoy THAT moment. Without regard for the effort you've put into it. Or the dishes that are yet to be cleaned. As you're out in the world, observe the beauty around you. Human-made or natural, there is much to marvel at if you take the blinders off and really experience it.

If we don't take the time to enjoy the things in our life that are beautiful, there's simply no reason to put in the work to make it beautiful. So, take in the power of now. It's a great way to live your life.