“No one can accomplish your dreams except you… moment by moment.” Anthony Trucks, former NFL player and Founder of “Trust Your Hustle”
It was more than twenty years ago but my memory of the moment is as vivid as if it occurred yesterday. My son Austin was 4 or 5 years old on the beach in Dana Point chasing a flock of seagulls from one landing spot on the sand to another. His inexpressible joy was contagious.
My wife and I with Austin’s grandparents vicariously experienced his giddy elation as we laughed and experienced his same joy. Now THAT was a moment! Simple and yet so profound that I smile with unparalleled bliss every time I revisit that Moment in my Memory Mansion.
The Magic of Moments
Oh, the magic of moments! The time we lost Austin at Disneyland; the night I asked Pam to be my wife; the death of my hugely adored adopted mother; Italy for the first time; my death-defying experience of climbing a nearly vertical 1000-foot cliff in Big Sur with a Boy Scout back-pack dangling from my shoulders (I was scared spitless); watching Austin hitting another home run at Petco Park.
You get it, because you too have host of moments of bliss and of tragedy. Yes, your life is a collection of moments. And every day provides another opportunity to enjoy (or endure) a moment that will contribute to the formation of the person you will be tomorrow.
Mindfulness
But… there is a requirement for you to maximize the Magic of the Moment: you must first Be All There. I still attempt to live by a maxim I read in the ‘80’s by missionary Jim Elliot, “Wherever you are, be all there.” For dreamers like me that is not always so easy to do. I am such a future thinker that I can forget to fully engage in what I am doing right this moment.
Enter the new mantra of the early 21st century: Mindfulness. Mindfulness is all about being fully present in the moment, right now. I want to say that it’s not all that difficult because it isn’t. Although it’s not difficult it is not common. We have such busy minds and busy calendars that it is not unusual for us to be somewhere other than where we actually are.
Right this moment is a perfect illustration. I am sitting in a friend’s condo overlooking the ocean in Coronado, next to San Diego. With my 35 song Blake Sheldon playlist humming softly in the background, I write this blog. But I find myself thinking about so many other things than the ocean or the music or the joy of writing. Instead of being present in this fabulous moment I am thinking about watching baseball games, the conference I am supposed to be attending, getting packed, and responding to email.
Time’s Up
Wait. I just looked and I am at 500 words. So you know what? I’m done. I think I’ll take a walk on the beach and end up at Starbucks. Now that is enjoying the moment. And I will be able to add it to my collection of memories that make me a contented man.
So… see ya next week.
Wherever You Are
Be All There!
Photo courtesy of jsur-mac at istockphoto
