We have had some very cold nights here in the past few weeks. The cold led me to make a bed for Sadie (our stray cat) in our mudroom. We also have a 6 month old chocolate lab named Bella. Bella and Sadie are the best of friends as long as no one pays any attention to Sadie. Bella has been bitten by the green-eyed-monster. Bella is jealous…very jealous. There is a door between the mudroom and the kitchen/family room. As sneaky as I tried to be, Bella figured out Sadie was in the mudroom. This was a new development to her and she did not like it one bit. She sat at that door…she layed at that door…she guarded that door. In the meantime, we are all in the family room calling for her to come play with us. She refused. Her eyes never left that door and what she perceived to be happening behind it. I saw myself in her at that moment. So worried about what MIGHT be happening somewhere else, I can’t enjoy where I am. So consumed with what I’m missing, I don’t appreciate what I have. Bella had four people who wanted to be with her, who were calling out to her, who wanted to give her their attention. Unfortunately, she was so worried about the fact the cat might somehow receive a moment of that attention, she missed out. Although just a small segment of time, she missed a roomful of love, a memory, a moment. I shudder to think of how many of those moments I have missed. How many times I’ve been preoccupied, emotionally unavailable, or just plain too tired to be in the present moment. In all my reading, I agree that living in the past can lead to depression, living in the future can lead to anxiety and stress but living in the present, in the moment, is the key to contentment, happiness and health. Research also shows the many physical benefits of learning to be in the moment—from lower blood pressure to reduced levels of stress and anxiety. So why do we find it so hard to be present in the moment? Are there times you’ve missed out on a important moment because you were thinking about what was happening elsewhere? Has technology made it almost impossible to be in the moment? Tell me what you think?
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