Being Present

I have taken to heart a caution this week that we shouldn’t wait for life to happen—this is life, now, whether we like it or not.  We shouldn’t wait until we’re feeling better, to do thus and so; we shouldn’t wait for the rain to be over or our mood to be better or a good hair day.  We should be fully present in the moment, whatever the moment is.

I’ve been guilty of that the past few months, and consciously so.  I’ve felt my favorite months of the year slipping away while I kept hoping that the weather would get nicer, warmer, sunnier, and in the meantime let the blossoms come and go without particularly remarking.  That’s sad—I’ve lost a whole spring that way, not just some days or weeks of dissatisfaction.

Contrarily, today as I was hurrying to get from one appointment to another, wishing that I could move faster and hurry myself to the next place I had to be, I felt a sudden rush of well-being come over me, entirely unexpectedly, and was slowed to a stop in the moment.  I realized I was surrounded by lavender, warmed by the sun, and bathed in a delicious fragrance, a sense of abundance, earthly and spiritual delight, a present [pun intended] from the universe.

And then again, as I got to my next appointment, the biscotteria where I was to pick up my order, I was delighted by the fragrance of the baking biscotti, the orange and lemon and chocolate, the amaretti.

Life is good:  be there for it.






image:  The Italian wine Vin Santo with its traditional food pairing of Biscotti, Paolo Piscolla