As I walk through campus on this absolutely gorgeous October morning, something really hits me. This is one of the most beautiful sights I've seen in a while, but I'm not really seeing it. Seldom are we ever really where we are. I often find myself not even sure how I got from one place to the next, because I'm not even looking around me. I'm completely engaged in thinking or planning or working through some non essential worry in my head.
I need to stop. And be. Notice the people walking by, notice the soul sitting next to me, notice the warmth of the sun on my arm, the smell of hickory in the air.
There's so much we want to do, see and be.
But what about what we are doing now? What about what we already are?
Life passes like a vapor. If we don't stop to see the blessings in every day, we are going to miss so much. And really, there are no "major" blessings, just the ones we find each day, moment by moment. If we fail to recognize them, we can't blame God.
When something minor goes wrong, we tend to dwell on it. What if we listed and focused on all the things that went right in a day, what would our attitude be then? Many times I find myself blowing off a friend when I'm upset about something. But that friendship is dearer than anything I'm fussing over, and in light of the blessing that person is in my life, this trivial thing finds it's proper place in my thoughts. (down the totem pole)
What if we were where we are? What if we actually saw the trees and appreciated them, what if we actually enjoyed the food we ate? What if we lingered on that embrace a little longer, being grateful? What if we laughed more at people's humor, felt the sun more, smiled at the person were with, fully infused ourselves with the present?
I sit here in ther warm October sun, and I am tempted to think about all the work I have to do and things I need to get done. But I say no. I am here now. I will feel the sun beating down, I will actually not just hear but listen to the birds sing. I will breathe that fall hickory smell in deep. I will watch the leaves floating carelessly down.
I am here.
I need to stop. And be. Notice the people walking by, notice the soul sitting next to me, notice the warmth of the sun on my arm, the smell of hickory in the air.
There's so much we want to do, see and be.
But what about what we are doing now? What about what we already are?
Life passes like a vapor. If we don't stop to see the blessings in every day, we are going to miss so much. And really, there are no "major" blessings, just the ones we find each day, moment by moment. If we fail to recognize them, we can't blame God.
When something minor goes wrong, we tend to dwell on it. What if we listed and focused on all the things that went right in a day, what would our attitude be then? Many times I find myself blowing off a friend when I'm upset about something. But that friendship is dearer than anything I'm fussing over, and in light of the blessing that person is in my life, this trivial thing finds it's proper place in my thoughts. (down the totem pole)
What if we were where we are? What if we actually saw the trees and appreciated them, what if we actually enjoyed the food we ate? What if we lingered on that embrace a little longer, being grateful? What if we laughed more at people's humor, felt the sun more, smiled at the person were with, fully infused ourselves with the present?
I sit here in ther warm October sun, and I am tempted to think about all the work I have to do and things I need to get done. But I say no. I am here now. I will feel the sun beating down, I will actually not just hear but listen to the birds sing. I will breathe that fall hickory smell in deep. I will watch the leaves floating carelessly down.
I am here.
Love you and love this so much. Live in every moment, embrace life, find joy in every day....I am learning these important lessons too. Missing you across Ohio, Pennsylvania, Jersey, and New York and wishing we could enjoy this beautiful day together.
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