Living in the Moment

I can’t tell you how many times I wish I did this better. Unlike other problems, this is one of those things that you cannot go back and fix. Regrettably (but humorously), I always say to myself right after going through a situation with which I should have been more involved and present, “Man, I should have been more into that moment. Crap.” Shoulda. Woulda. Coulda. We can’t get those times back. We can hope for more in the future, but they are not guaranteed – and we cannot spend our present hoping for the future. Truly, I can’t tell you how many times I wish I did this better.

And, yet, I distinctly remember when I have done this well. I think I remember it because I was truly in those moments. I lived them. I breathed them. I enjoyed them. My mind, my heart, and my spirit were in tune with those moments. Whether it was a rainstorm on a safari in Africa, river-swimming in a cave in Ecuador or simply golfing with my dad in Nampa, Idaho – I have lived in some moments… and I have loved it.

What does it mean to live in the moment? I hadn’t heard of the concept until a friend told me this story. My friend was in Taiwan listening to a teacher explain the exciting study abroad program that lay in front of the students for the next three months. In hopes of encouraging the students to get the full amount of the experience, the teacher told them about his favorite student of all time. “I have never seen another person be fully into every moment like he was,” the teacher stated. “It is the first thing you noticed about him, and it is the last thing you will remember – the way he could fully immerse his heart and soul into every moment of his life. He never went through the motions. He never sat out a play. No matter if it was studying for a test or trying to speak Spanish with his family – he was fully present in each and every moment. It was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen.”

When I heard this description, I wanted to be that guy. I mean, I want to remember the past and plan for the future – but, doggone it, I want to live in the present. I want to live in every moment.

Life is too short.

Life is too good (even when it’s bad).

Life is too…

You fill in the rest. And then live it. Live every moment of it. Heart, mind, soul, and spirit – with God, with friends, with family, with strangers – in love, in hope, in wonder, in adventure – let’s all live in every moment.

(So stop reading this blog, and GO!)