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.
And you can only taste the nectar if you stop long enough to let it flow.
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…
Linking from Five-Minute Fridays. I like the way you worked through the past, future and landed in the present. Live the experiences – even the dust and the mess. Enjoy each moment with your kids, with others and with God.
Many blessings,
Jan
So good I just had to share this! I completely struggle with this because of the neverending checklist in my head. Of course nothing ever gets checked of. Hmmm… what am I missing here. 🙂
Thank you so much Jan!
I’m right with you Amy…I miss the “here” and my list keeps growing and growing! Blessings to you!
Love your writing.
You and I were on a similar page with this prompt. I have struggled all my life with looking to the next thing, the next task, or thing to do. It has only been since I began blogging that I feel I have more accountability to live what I write. Be present in the moment with the only treasure I get to take with me to heaven, is my what I remind myself daily.
I like this…a lot! I wrote about the here and now.
Mary
http://memyselfandmercy.blogspot.com/
Oh me too! The here is hard for me because of all the STUFF… the things to do, the thoughts that are unsettled and the parts that aren’t content… but being HERE is where He wants me. THERE is a distraction.
I haven’t had much energy lately to move through my “task list”. But my brain is constantly drifting to the next thing. Learning to be still and focus on the here and now is hard sometimes. Praying you have a beautiful weekend!
Oh Charmaine, thank you. Have a wonderful weekend 🙂
Yes, we were 🙂 It IS so hard not to constantly be focused on the “next” thing. So thankful you stopped by!
Thank you Mary…I just love the name of your blog!
Yes, Dawn…SO much to do, but you’re right, THERE IS a distraction. Thank you so much for visiting me here 🙂
Oh yes, I too long to be still. But it IS hard, especially to try savor the moments with my loud, energetic, bubbly brewd! Ha! May you too have a beautiful weekend Barbie!