Moments matter
Good morning fellow Travellers,
Something I have become fully aware of in the past decade of my life is my ability to be fully where I am and take in all the details of that blink of time. In moments.
It happens when I walk with Lou in the morning, when I prepare food and the distinction of flavors, the delight of making or trying anything new, the way the sunlight enters my home, a particularly beautiful event in the sky, conversations with people, time with anyone I love including furry creatures, in travel and movement. I experience so many of these moments in movement. I think I’ve always been able to feel everything in a kind of super saturation inside me except my adolescent years and 20s when I was disconnected from everything.
I was describing a moment to a friend yesterday morning and he said I see things that he doesn’t think others see. He said I see with eyes of an artist or poet. If that is true, that others can’t feel the weight of the beauty and gift of this life like me, then I want to figure out how to share that ability. How to teach that ability. Because it keeps me grounded here and excited to turn the next corner, even in hard times. It makes the simplest things feel incandescent. And it is an ever present reminder of the value of just living as a human.
I truly believe that our ability to string good moments together is a kind of salvation in this life. Our ability to attach to where we are, how we feel and process all the sensory information our body is collecting is imperative to our survival. Because when the world is dark, these little moments are like a strand of little brilliant white Christmas lights that illuminate our way through.
Here is the moment I told him about…
On our way back home each morning, we have to cross a busy intersection. Lou likes to sprint through it with vim and vigor after we have waited at the light. When we arrive at the other side, there is a tiny swerve to the right on the sidewalk that we run through. And when the sun is illuminating us from behind, which happens almost every morning, I see her shadow and then mine crosses behind hers and comes up on her right. And our shadows run together. There is this physical sensation of what feels like abit of a slingshot in my body holding onto her leash and following her lead. And every single morning we walk there is something about this moment that I love in a way I couldn’t explain fully to anyone else. But I know if it’s true that right before we die, our life flashed before our eyes, this will be one of my last memories as I am always so deeply present in it, it feels like it’s branded into me somehow. And in moments like that, I can feel the strength of my mortality. Fleeting as life may be.
Life moves in moments. Change occurs in millimeters, we just fail to see it because we can’t stay fully aware at all times with regards to everything all around us. But I believe we could all benefit from being more present in the real world because that is the world we were born for and the place where we truly live.
ACTION ITEMS:
Take a walk outside without technology stimulus. What do you see? What do you hear? How does the weather feel, as in sun on your skin or a light rain? Pay attention to your foot fall on the ground. How does it feel in your body to be moving? This is just a short list, but what we are looking for is 100% participation from your mind and body together. This takes practice.
Get a note book and pen, and record each day how much time you are spending in front of a screen. Learning to observe and record your actions without judgement is key to change. Pay attention when you write down your actions if you then judge it, that’s not the point, we are looking for awareness and to determine how much time you are spending in the real world versus your technology. Your body is built for the real world, my hypothesis is the more time you spend on a device, the more disconnected you are from your nervous system.
Be curious about your sensory input. Pay attention to your food, your music, your interactions with people or animals, how you react to time outdoors, and of course movement. What do you feel, as in emotions. Where do you feel it in your body? Participate in your choices with your senses and mind. Be where your feet are.
I’ll be seeing you,
Amy
