“Today I will live in the moment,” the cartoon reads. “Unless the moment is unpleasant, in which case I will eat a cookie.” We’ve all been there. When distractions pull us in multiple directions, it can be a serious challenge to live in the moment, even if that moment is not unpleasant.
Mindfulness is an age-old practice of paying attention. In mindfulness, we focus our awareness on the present moment in a non-judgmental way, and then acknowledge and accept whatever comes to us. Being mindful not only creates space for mental and emotional calm, but it also carries with it some physical benefits, including stress reduction.
Too often we stew over what has happened in the past, fret about what is to come, or worry about things over which we have no control. When we don’t live in the present, we can miss so much of the greatness of God’s good creation, experienced in other people, in nature, in pets, in art. When we don’t live in the present, we can miss the myriad promptings of the Holy Spirit.
This message is excerpted from “Minding the moment” by Linda Post Bushkofsky in the October 2019 Gather magazine.
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