Living in the Present Moment

Nature has always served as one of my greatest teachers. Yesterday was no exception, as the spring weather in the mountains was a fun reminder for me to live in the present moment. The saying in the Rocky Mountains is, “If you don’t like the weather, wait 10 minutes”, as like life, it’s always changing.

It’s late April, yet yesterday I awoke to a beautiful blanket of snow. Knowing that I must live in the moment NOW, I jumped out of bed and announced that I was going for a walk.

My husband and Koda, our dog, decided to join me. We spent an hour hiking through the mountains, enjoying each moment. The previous day had been tee shirt weather, yet the morning snow varied from 2″ to 4″ in depth. The weather continued to change constantly, from flurries to blinding snow, to yes, even back to blue skies and brilliant sunshine.

The “would you just make up your mind” kind of weather continued throughout the day and almost became a joke as it changed so much. But through it all, I celebrated what showed up. Rather than complaining about what I couldn’t change, I celebrated what was, knowing that the present moment wouldn’t last very long and even enjoying each snowflake.

Nature provided me with a tangible example of the changes in my life, and the opportunities to live in the moment. So, when it was sunny I took off my jacket and smiled at the sun, and when the snow covered my hair, I made snowballs and tossed them at my husband. Regardless of the weather, or the change that was happening in the present moment, I made a choice to be happy and enjoy the day. That decision resulted in one of the best days I’ve had in a long time, simply because I made a conscious choice to enjoy the present moment.

We all get caught up in the “stuff” we have to do and sometimes forget that each day is made of moments for us to enjoy. We forget that we have 86,400 seconds, or moments to truly savor and live each day.

Today, especially on a Monday, I’m going to consciously attempt to live in the present moment, be grateful for what shows up and smile for at least half of them. Come rain, come snow or the brilliant sunshine of life, I’m choosing to be happy and smile through whatever shows up. I invite you to join me.

By the end of the day yesterday, all of the snow had melted and our world was covered in mud. Yet, as I write this to you this morning, my world is once again covered with a fresh blanket of newly fallen snow. The trees are decorated with bright white puffs filling their verdant green boughs. The landscape almost blends into the gray skies in the background. The falling snow is getting lighter and lighter by the moment and blue skies are only moments away…. But for now, I’m off to enjoy the snow, and the moment, with a smile.