Present Moment ~ Precious Moment

My to-do list is full, though not to the place of being unmanageable. However, what I’m most interested in these days is my “to be” list. As my to do list gets longer and longer, I sometimes find that I’m not being the kind of woman I want to be. These days, I’ve found myself filled with a greater sense of joy when I pay more attention to how I want to be when I’m doing the doing of my “to do” list.

For instance, a wise and kind woman I know recently shared that she’s been much more aware of the preciousness of time. I thought, “I want that!” I want to be aware of the preciousness of time. As she talked more about her experience of maintaining an awareness of the preciousness of time, I noticed this completely calm and beautifully magnetic serenity radiate from her. Soon, I was aware of the perfect preciousness of that moment. I lost track of what she was saying and found myself caught up in appreciating her.

Aha! Eureka! Holy Mackerel Andy! Maybe, just maybe there’s something inherent in appreciation that draws us to experiencing the preciousness of the unfolding moments of time, like iron filings drawn to a magnet. And, the best news of all is that it’s easy, really easy. Just look around, listen, touch, or take a deep breath. Find something to appreciate right now and in all the right now’s to come.

Even as I type, I hear the strains of peace-filled holiday music filling the air. I feel appreciative, naturally and easily grateful that I can hear. Like a snowball rolling down a hill, the appreciation gathers momentum. I live in a world where talented musicians share their gifts with the rest of us. I have electricity and can type, sharing my gifts with others. My children are laughing in the other room, there is delight in my home.

Once started, appreciation has the ability to transform the doing of ordinary tasks into the being of joyful recognition of the preciousness of time, a feeling of peace, and the experience of being life rather than just doing life. In this way, the things to do become more and more like events to be experienced.

Fortunately, the event of hearing words of wisdom spill from the serene presence of whom I spoke earlier became an event of listening as well. One of the gifts she shared about recognizing the preciousness of time is how she approaches the to do’s with recognition of the timeliness of each task. For if the task can’t be done with a good feeling, perhaps it is not the right time to do the thing we think we should be doing.

For the last few days, I’ve been looking at my list of things to do and questioning each item, “is it your time yet?” Sometimes it is and sometimes it isn’t. I’m still getting things done. The surprising gift is that most times move along as a quiet peace-filled river, reflecting the beautiful preciousness of time well spent.

Back Home