How often have I forgotten to seize the moment today?
I tend to get very focused on whatever I’m doing—to the point that I often tune out everything else. That may include remembering to eat lunch, paying attentions other humans in the room, or noticing the beauty of sun-dappled leaves outside my window.
When I am driving somewhere, I can be alarmingly unobservant. My brain is typically lost inside itself, puzzling over some problem rather than paying attention to the scenery. Every now and then I wake up enough to notice that a building has been razed to the ground!
How long ago did that happen? How did I not notice?
As you can see, I fight a daily a battle against mindless living—cruising through my day on autopilot while my thoughts are somewhere or some-when else. I want to stay aware and engaged in what is happening in my now, but I get distracted and I forget to stay in the moment.
Which implies I’m missing out on a lot of simple pleasures, moments to connect with other humans, and reasons to be thankful about the many blessing in my life.
Why I’d rather remain mindful
I have a collection of photos featuring small children grinning while surrounded by a mess they created (when Mommy wasn’t looking). I treasure those photos. I am so glad I remembered to notice the humor of the moment instead of focusing on the mess I had to clean up.
Life is filled with these little gems. Not just photo-worthy messes, but people we bump into, serendipitous encounters with nature (like the moose on my sister’s back deck), and other random events that bring a smile to our face or give us an opportunity to encourage someone else.
I don’t want to be so focused on my agenda and schedule that when unexpected people and situations pop up I see them as hindrances to my goal rather than opportunities to connect and make a difference. I want to seize the moments, not walk past them.
How about you?
Do you coast through life in a mindless fog of autopilot and agenda? Do you trust God enough to let go of your carefully crafted schedule in favor of whatever he pops in front of you right now?
I know it’s not easy. But I’d rather err on the side of “wasting time” by talking with people and sniffing flowers than get to the end of my day and realize I haven’t paid attention to any of it.
5 ideas to seize the moment today
- Take initiative. You know all those people you keep saying you should get together with? Contact one and schedule an actual date and time to connect.
- Take a break and practice seeing the good. Notice five things around you that make you thankful.
- Invent a challenge to help you pay attention. For example, try to find three houses with red doors and four different kinds of animals on your way home.
- Reclaim your waiting-room moments. Plan ahead and you can fill waiting times with something more worthwhile than mindless iPhone games. Read a book, write a letter, plan next week’s menu, work on your knitting.
- Give someone one your undivided attention. No phones. No multitasking. 100% focus. As my young-but-way-too-wise children used to say when I was only pretending to pay attention, “Look at me with your real eyes, Mommy.”
“For just one second, look at your life and see how perfect it is. Stop looking for the next secret door that is going to lead you to your real life. Stop waiting. This is it; there’s nothing else. It’s here, and you’d better decide to enjoy it or you’re going to be miserable wherever you go, for the rest of your life, forever.” ~ Lev Grossman
