Life can be strange like that sometimes. We tend to have a lot of complicated stressors in our lives, I'm quite sure that they have been amplified and multiplied through the years with the rise of technology and the internet of things.
All of these stressors can push us this way and pull us that way, like the tide flowing in and out. We often get discombobulated by it as we simply feel like we're drowning in all the different directions. It takes us away from where we ought to be focused. Sure, we need to be keeping the future in our minds, but we also need to keep an even keel or we might not see what's in our current waters.
Today I kept myself entirely present and anchored in the now. It was liberating to simply enjoy a series of moments when I wasn't fretting. I didn't feel under pressure, I didn't feel worried, I just WAS.
Things in our lives can change rapidly and we constantly have to check our bearings, adjust our position or change course altogether if we've veered off, but to take a day and know that every minute is for soaking up the activities and enjoying them for what they are right then, that is truly living.
I've recently dealt with a lot of change, most of those were of my own doing. I made decisions and acted on them and so my reality shifted in response. Most of the big ones were excellent decisions, but some of them were not. Some of them seemed like the only option available at the time and I'll take responsibility for each one because in that moment, they seemed like the correct choice. Hindsight is 20/20 and often we do not know exactly what the ramifications of a decision may be until we have made it and see all the moving parts at work.
But this is the beauty of life...
Yes, the tides do turn. Today the water may be choppy or it may be smooth sailing. We may have patches where we experience both within short succession of each other, but we still need to be ever present, check our bearings and adjust our course as necessary.
Today I experienced one of the most wonderful days I have had in a while. From the very start, it was special. I didn't place huge expectations on it, I knew where I was, where I was going and then I lived it - each moment I was fully immersed in it. There were so many parts of the day that dug into my heart and rooted themselves there, making it truly beautiful for me. It was a day full of love, light, gifts and laughter. There were some moments of tears too, but I weathered my way through them, I didn't deny them, I acknowledged them and eventually with understanding and patience they passed, much like a storm does.
So even when we feel like we are in a maelstrom, we need to keep checking our directions, adjust our sails accordingly and then continue moving forward. Don't deny the chaos or the calm, acknowledge whichever you are currently in and then LIVE it. Fretting constantly over the future will steal so much of your life. Don't wait for it to happen to you - make sure that you are living it right now, no matter what the tide is.
Image and design are mine