Pausing to Appreciate What Already Is!

We humans always seem to be "on the go" in some fashion.

We're either going to somewhere, or coming from somewhere... where we're likely going to do something, or perhaps buy something, or maybe build something.

Not suggesting there's anything wrong with being ambitious and wanting be on the go... just pausing for a moment to consider that all these things — in one way or another — are going to take place at some point in the future, rather than in the present moment.

Spiritual teacher and philosopher Ram Dass famously observed "Be here now!" but what does that really mean?

We give a lot of lip service to this whole "being present" but how does that actually manifest in the world.

Personally, I think he was talking about that thing, up above, namely that we are always looking towards some point in the future — however near or far away that may be — meaning that we have pretty much zero focus on what IS, right now.

I came out of the bedroom this morning and paused for a moment as I saw a couple of our cats sitting in the pool of sunshine that strikes the top of the stairwell between 7:00am and 8:00am. I considered just the beauty of that very moment and the way the cats seemed to quite literally be "soaking up the sun," the only thing of importance to their lives being that it was nice and warm and that made them feel good and happy.

The cool thing about it was that my interminable to-do list and scheduling the day's tasks faded from active memory and I enjoyed a moment of simply being with what was right in front of me.

In our hectic anf fast paced world, it's something we seem to have increasingly forgotten to do. Our minds are always moving at a hundred miles per hour, considering, processing, planning and preparing for things that are "not now." Or perhaps, endlessly looping and processing things that happened perviously, like replaying them in our minds can somehow create a more desirable outcome.

I watch this pattern unfold in so many places I go.

Consider people working out at the gym: The vast majority are thinking about things that have nothing to do with their workout routines... perhaps rehearsing their presentation at the 11:00am business meeting they will be going to.

If you were to ask them how their workout went, they'd likely respond "fine," without really having an awareness of which exercises went smoothly and which were a struggle. They might even argue that it didn't matter because the "purpose" of working out is that they can multi-task.

But perhaps the thought pattern even extends beyond the business meeting, to thoughts of "what WILL become possible" if the meeting leads to winning the contract, leading to increased revenues for the company, leading to a nice bonus for them, leading to a trip they want to take a year from now.

In being "lost" inside those future contemplations, they completely miss the unlikely sight of a scruffy pink-haired teenage girl trying to walk six kittens on harnesses and leashes, right outside the window. Or the attractive person across the room who has been trying to make eye contact for the past 15 minutes.

Sometimes less is more in the sense that the eternal focus on something "more" out in the future magically making our lives better blinds us to the fact that — in the moment — our lives are actually pretty damn brilliant!

Ostensible gurus often talk about mindfulness like it is some magical answer to life's stressors, but often it is merely the willingness to stand back from the eternal bitstream inside your head and enjoy the peace that comes with it.

Yes, peace

I find it in moments like watching those cats, or gardening — few things serve as a better path to mindfulness than getting your hands in the dirt! — or walking on the beach with no particular "goal," or purpose.

"But I can't afford to DO that!"

Is that really true? How well has your current approach served you?

Can you really afford not to?

Thanks for stopping by, and have a wonderful day... enjoying the moments!

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Created at 2026.04.29 12:15 PST
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