Another brilliant day with Stellar-Steve! It began with an afternoon hike to "Waterfall," followed by dinner and frozen yogurt with a couple of our friends, and ended with a late-night run along a quiet street under the stars. (Who knew a run could be so romantic)?
I am clearly smitten with him, yet fears of the future beg my attention, and I cannot feign complete trust (through no fault of his own). Naturally, our conversations often revolve around my fears-of-this and what-if's-that, today being no exception. As we discussed the direction of our relationship I began "the big speech" with my usual, "In 3 months when... Maybe 30 days from now... Come December I'll..." Steve got a little smile. "What?" I asked. "Natalie, you can't project manage life. You can set all the time-lines you want, but life is happening regardless. Right now. Life is happening and you're in it." How very true! Perhaps it's time to release my anxieties and allow "now" to pour over me - for now only happens once.
TODAY'S FOCUS: Life is NOW, so honor the present moment by living today... today. Enjoy the present, forgive the past and trust in the future. Living in the present, however, is not always easy and requires the release of fear and surrender of control... or at least what we perceive to be control.
We imagine we can control an outcome by performing "x" which, in our compartmentalized mind, will result in "y" and ultimately lead to "z." This is great thinking for logical goals, but when it comes to emotion-based experiences we have little control, and goals (my goals at-least) act more like a defense mechanism than a true attempt to propel forward in growth. In any case, planning as a means to avoid pain and suffering only creates a back-door entrance for anxiety, robbing us of the present moment.
There is freedom in simply taking a deep breath, releasing fears and expectations and rolling with the punches, trusting that "x-y-z" will unfold exactly as it's supposed to. Besides, if we could always plan and execute "x-y-z," imagine how stale and boring life would become.
QUOTE: "As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out the present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love - even the most simple action." -Eckhart Tolle (Author of "The Power of Now.")
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Just spent an hour and a half being inspired. Well done. Dare you to make this a book.
ReplyDeleteWow! I'm just impressed you can stand me for more than 15 minutes lol. Thank you - and as for a book... the thought has crossed my mind... :) Time will tell.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great post. This weekend has been a great one for me - I've had to make some big decisions and it's been hard. But what Steve said is so true, and a similar thought is what helped me make those decisions. Still, it's sometimes hard to trust in the future - especially when life hasn't always treated you fairly, or kindly. And it's often much harder (for me!) to forgive the past. That's something I'm really working on. Steve's a smart guy - lucky you! :)
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