Living In The Moment

I was cleaning off some excess grass from the lawn mower in the front yard a couple days ago when I saw a man and his dog walking on the other side of the street…headed in my direction. They were too far away to say hello, and I was headed back into the garage anyway to get some iced tea I had there.

It had been like mowing on the sun…should have just hired the landscaping crew who came to the door earlier (see above).

While I was in the garage cooling off, as this duo got closer I could hear the man singing to himself (or the dog?). He did not have ear buds or any player device – just him, his dog, and his song.  He was definitely enjoying his walk…this moment. However, his dog was periodically stopping to smell whatever dogs smell off to the sides of sidewalks. What struck me was how the man was singing his tune louder while the dog was walking ahead, but his song’s volume…and its progress…dropped off significantly every time the dog stopped.

I am confident in the brutal heat of the midday sun this man had forecasted to get back home sooner than later, but his dog clearly was operating on a different arrival schedule. I found it amusing how the loudness and pace of his song coincided with the forward movement of his dog. Yet, the man was so patient in ensuring the dog was safe at all times while “off-course,” and didn’t think to continue with either his desired decibel level or lyrical style until his dog was back in line and moving ahead.

I am positive I would never have noticed any of this if I hadn’t been actively trying to be in that moment. Over the last few years, I’m betting you have seen many self-help recommendations for all of us to try to live in the moment. Soak in as much of each day’s blessings as possible when we can find them…be aware of all of the sights, sounds, smells.

It has become a pet project of mine to consciously slow down, breathe, and try to appreciate special moments when I come across them. I don’t want to be as consumed with what is next on the to-do list, or worrying about what might or might not happen in the days ahead. For me, I have written my own healthy prescription to find, acknowledge and appreciate positive moments I come across daily.

Most definitely there are times we can’t possibly live within moments. Life comes at us with velocity, curves, and detours…quite unexpectedly at times. In those circumstances we have to look a bit ahead, look forward. Not just for ourselves, but sometimes for the benefit of others as well.

It was like the dog owner was doing just that, making sure both of them stayed together…living in their moment.

 

Picture Courtesy Universal Studios

49 thoughts on “Living In The Moment”

  1. Now you’ve got me curious what song the man was singing. Perhaps something to stimulate his dog’s … how shall we say?…performance.
    Kidding aside, I do take your point. Before Covid and my husband’s retirement we were always busy planning the next big thing or stressed we missed it. Now? We stop and smell the roses. Or we would, if the drought hadn’t stunted them.
    🥴

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    1. Again, my condolences on that drought. Here’s hoping you get a surplus of rain…not all at once…but very soon. You know, I could not make out the song. I was so focused on how it came and went with the doggie’s starting and stopping…maybe I will catch another “performance” soon.

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    1. Aaron, sounds like a no-brainer but I schedule stuff in my phone and set reminders to pop when I’m supposed to be off to the next thing. Focus in on here-and-now much better when I know to-dos are on the phone rather than carrying them around in my head. Thanks for stopping by.

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  3. I truly enjoyed this post and could pleasantly picture the man and his dog. I too have been working on mindfulness and being in the moment more. I recently retired, which has lightened the to-do list and made living in the moment a little easier, though it still requires some conscious effort to reel myself back to the present on occasion. Here’s to life’s little pleasures!

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    1. Christie, small world as I began my “first retirement” at the beginning of June. I’m a bit busier than at work but it is a really good kind of busy. I have to make a conscious effort to remind myself I am no longer working! After getting coffee in the AM I’m returning to my computer and I keep trying to take my “status” off of Away From Desk and set it back to Available. Nobody cares what my “status” is anymore…and that’s a good thing for me. Thanks for stopping by.

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  4. Yes! Being mindful and fully present in the Here and Now pays dividends ~ after all, the present is where happiness resides. 😀

    * We are here, and it is now. What else is there? ~ Kobi Yamada

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  7. Don’t you love being able to appreciate the here and now…now that you’ve got the time? I remember being so busy trying to fit in so much that sometimes I’d accidentally triple book myself or my kids…sometimes all of us and I didn’t have the ability to stop and smell or see or really use any of my five senses. I sometimes fall back into those old behaviors…however, my body conks out a little easier than it used to, so I don’t really have a choice but to slow down. We had two lovely days when the most delicious rain descended upon us…thankfully, and I enjoyed every second of it. Now I have “Feelin’ Groovy” stuck in my head. And that’s just fine by me! “Slow down, you move too fast…got to make the morning last…” Mona

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    1. Mona, that’s a song which is absolutely appropriate for these moments in question. I also know what you mean about the body “helping” to slow us down. I’ve certainly dialed it back a notch or two when it comes to previously going full speed ahead.

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  12. Sniffing everything from pee-mail to whatever critters happened by recently is how dogs keep their brains healthy and active, but it can get annoying for the person walking the dog when they’d rather just move along. Looks like that guy found something that worked for both him and his dog.

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  13. Life gets so busy especially with kids. I try to make sure and take a few moments to stop and relax. I watch sunsets and walk outside late and night to catch a glimpse of the moon. We live on an amazing planet, and I wish I were able to take more time to appreciate it.

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  14. Did he at least have a decent voice?

    I try my best to live in the moment, too. They say hindsight is 20/20, but my goal is to have FORESIGHT be 20/20. Or at least appreciate the little moments as much as possible.

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    2. Observing any sort of harmony or beauty really trips my happiness trigger ~ and there are so many examples around us, as we realize when we begin stopping to celebrate them! 🎉

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  17. What a lovely sentiment you provide with such a simple moment. It’s where all the beauty is and where I’ve come to discover everything happens – ah yes, of course, the present! Self-help aside, it’s tuning into everyday moments like this and fully committing to them when you notice the beauty in the ordinary, something you may not have even paid attention to at all previously or even still may have found irritating. It’s incredible the shifts that happen when we are still and simply observe. So much happens in stillness.

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    1. Alice, I have absolutely found “discoveries” within moments and scenarios I previously just raced by mentally or physically, as well as finding something good out of what was previously written off as simply creating irritation. Just slowing down and being still in the moment. We can’t control the chaos around us, but we do have control over our reaction to it. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

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  20. Ahh you changed things up on your blog (posts) and your daily life.. I’m just catching up here since I’ve been off WP. How wonderful to be in the rushing thru the day. To observe, feel out the moment, a relaxed way of life. Kudos to you!

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  22. I wonder if there’s anyone who hasn’t heard “live in the moment,” Bruce. Very wise advice to those of us who waste our finite moments lost in our heads. I’ve learned that slowing down actually slows down time. Have you noticed that? It’s a very strange phenomenon. Have a wonderfully slow day.

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