“Wherever you are, make sure you’re there.” — Dan Sullivan

Life is about living! I don’t mean the sort of living that puts us on a mindless path of other peoples’ dreams and expectations of us. I mean feeling, sensing, touching, smelling every minute of every hour of every day.  We need to stop and take stock of what is right here in front of us now.  Appreciate who and what we are now, in the present. Let us not focus on who we were, that’s gone, or who we are going to be, that is yet to come.

Both past and future timelines are valid. One lends to the experiences we have gone through and lessons we have learned.  The other, to the hope of who we can become, and to a better version of ourselves tomorrow.

What about now, who we are now, how we are now, what we are now? When I look at the mirror, who do I see? When I look around me now, what do I witness of life, keeping in mind that it is as much a part of me as I am of it?

As I continue my journey of self-discovery, I am more aware of my surroundings; Less concerned of what others think of me.  The new me is in awe of the beauty I witness all around me; the little flower growing a few feet from me, glistening in the morning sunshine.   The chuckle that comes, watching the Male Agama lizards, in their vibrant hues of blue and orange, chasing after the seemingly unwilling female Agama’s, bedecked in green with red spots glittering like rubies on their backs. One chases, the other runs.   I love how the males are so determined to catch and how the females pretend to resist each time, ducking and weaving away, smaller and more agile.

This is not about lizards, nor about flowers, or maybe it is.   Maybe it is about stopping in these “busy” lives we lead, to just take to take a look around us. To stop and marvel at all the wonderful creations that are within inches of us and how they interact.   Things we look at every day, yet take for granted and never really see. Not because they are not there, but we are not present. we are not there! 

We are rushing from here to there, not accomplishing much.   We need to look like we are busy.  That we look focused and motivated.  All the while caring more about how others percieve us in our “busy”.  Trying desperately to be relevant in the eyes of those who behold us.  Never caring how much this “busy” is costing us. Sad.

What we should be doing is slowing down, oftentimes stopping completely.  This world is moving way too fast.   Seconds, minutes, hours, even days all melded into one. We all know that time is a finite commodity, yet rushing does not make it have more value. On the contrary rushing through life increases the scarcity of time.  We rush past it, too busy to notice, then wonder at the end, where it all went.  Tragically, we wonder what we did with the time we had.  There are few memories to show, when we rush around being busy all the time, and sadly few worthy of  mention.  

It is time to take a moment to stop and look around.   Find something beautiful in what is within us, around us.  This is akin to stopping time or at least freezing it for a moment. Time to collect a memory to etch in our minds, like a picture that never fades.   An interactive 3D image of a moment in our lives. One that we can always reach for , and  bring back to look at again and again.

I can remember when I sat in my balcony, that morning when the Agamas’ were at play and the sun was shining. The wind was rustling through the leaves of the palm trees up above.   I could hear the sounds of the numerous birds and I could even hear the sound of the waves crashing against not so distant the shore.

I watched squirrels at play, saw the plants, flowers and other greenery swaying in the wind. The sun shining, making the dewdrops shimmer on the blades of grass.   What a beautiful morning it was, so full of promise.  This memory my reward for slowing down that morning and watching, listening, paying attention, being present.  My gift for being present etched in my mind forever.   Available for me to reach into and see again, in my melancholy to remind me of that wonderful moment in time.

We plan and we dream and attempt to forecast a future.  This, in my opinion, is a bit unrealistic.   We have no real control of how tomorrow will unravel itself. We can only hope that what we plan comes to be.

Therefore, if I have no control of what tomorrow will bring, then at least let me be sure about today.  Let me be sure about now, be sure about what I am experiencing in this moment.  That way, even if tomorrow does not play out as I had expected, and things to not go do as planned.  Then, at the very least, I have the memories of now.   I have today and can save it in my memory banks, to review to my heart’s content later. I can be present, I can actually say that I lived, I was there!