When My There Becomes My Next Here {Living in the Present Moment}

I want to live in the here, really I do.

Amidst the messes and piles of papers in the office,

Among the toys strewn through every room,

With the dishes piled in the sink because the dishwasher is clean and I haven’t unloaded it,

And the laundry that piles up and calls me from much more important things my heart wants to do.

I want to be present here with my children.

With their playful screams and endless laughter and silly goof-off things they love to do.

To sit on the floor and play a game,

Or sit outside by the pool and watch them swim … or better yet get into the pool right there with them.

But instead, I spend most of my time living in the there.

The there that’s where I want to be…

Striving to check the boxes off my list,

Dreaming of where I’m going, what I’m wanting,

And accomplishing tasks for the next thing.

Or, the there that’s behind me…

the here that I missed…the here that already passed me by.

And why is it I miss the here until it’s gone, and then regret its passing? Why can’t I stop and just be here?

Why must I flitter about like a crazed bee never landing long enough to be present?

Because endlessly chasing the greener grass moment is a sure way to miss the nectar-filled flowers right here.

Sure, it may not always be dripping-honey sweet, and it may not be abundant and overflowing, but with the right presence and pause, it can satisfy.

Living in the here satisfies.

And there’ll be the next flower, with more sweet nectar.

And I can fly when my used-to-be “there” becomes my next “here” and satisfies all over again.

Do you struggle to live in the here?

What is your biggest obstacle?

I’m joining Lisa-Jo, over at her site today, to take five minutes and just write without worrying if it’s just right or not. The challenge is to write for 5 minutes flat with no editing, tweaking or self critiquing, with the prompt she gives. And today, her prompt:

Here…