MOMENTOUS Moments...

   While at the 'Y', the other afternoon, I was chatting with a woman, as she and I exercised in the pool. In the course of our conversation, which was interrupted, with each lap I 'ran', she indicated to me that she was a 'clock-watcher', as she 'struggled' to endure her 30 minutes of aquatics, that she had dedicated herself to, on this day. Self-admittedly, she indicated that she could not, ever, truly, enjoy a thing that she was engaged in, as she was always, too, painfully, aware of the passing time. Her 'confession' of such behavior, had me sharing some of my own thoughts on the subject; not the least of which was that, if one is, typically, jumping ahead, in his or her mind, aware of the 'tick-tock of the clock', rather than allowing him/herself the pleasure of 'the moment', then one is truly, not, participating, fully, in whichever activity they are involved in. They are missing it. Allowing one's self to 'be present' in each moment, without letting angst, concern, or, any, type, 'stress' influence one's 'being', is referred to as equanimity; an evenness of mind, where one is neither elated nor depressed...one, simply, IS. This state of being is a tremendous place to get to; and, I'm pretty well 'there'. I have discovered over time, that through meditative-practice(s), prayer, and, thoughtfulness, of and toward my emotional-wellness, I can, simply, BE. I have given myself the 'gift' of being present in each, present, moment; this, so called, 'The Perfect 'Present' '. There is an 'exercise' of the conscious-mind, which 'trains' one to find this 'place of perfection'. Not unlike any other 'work-out', it requires commitment, dedication, and, focus, in order to achieve one's goal. And, though, this process demands no physical-stamina, it does, indeed, require personal-strength, and, diligence, to be successful, in this endeavor. When one comes to the realization that life can, actually, only be lived one moment at a time, as this is, honestly, all we have, when one embraces this philosophy, one can begin to find complete, contentedness within each moment. If one is able to 'conquer' one moment at a time, then, over time, one will find him/herself 'content' ALL the time, as each moment becomes another, and, then...another. So...no matter what it is that you may be doing, engaged in, or, involved with, always, attempt to be fully, engaged in the activity. Enjoy the moment. After all, as life, constantly shows us, none of us know how many of them we get. Just Sayin'...