Meditation, quotes, wise sayings, self-help books, even yoga poses all serve to help us live in the present moment. Yet in spite of that, how many of us really do?

As we run our errands, drive our cars, ride the trains, shop, read and travel, how often are we really in the “now,” or truly enjoying the moment, whether mundane or outrageously fun?

Do you make your shopping list or think about the household chores while having sex (don’t worry, we won’t tell)? Do you religiously read your daily horoscopes, interpret the vague prophecies in your fortune cookies and receive psychic readings, all for a sneak peek into your uncertain future? Many of us are hooked on living in the past and pouring over our mistakes, and we obsess over our future. It is challenging to live and be in the “now.”

However chaotic, fun, desperate or distressing a moment is, embracing what the moment has to offer is part of riding out the high and low waves of our journey. Take a moment to ask yourself: “How often do I squander my time, pass up enjoying the “now” because I am lost processing and planning, stuck in the daily trance of evoking the past, dreaming of three-day weekends, vacations, or planning for retirement, holidays, etc?”

Just how well do you appreciate and enjoy your time? When we get stuck in the past or the future, we miss life’s precious and fleeting “now” moments. The warmth of the sun hitting our face, the smile of a child and even the embrace of a loved one may be lost because we are focusing on what is next. The “now” moments we rush through will one day become the past events we look back on. Life really is too short and it is what happens “when you are busy making other plans.” 

So, what is one thing you can commit to doing differently to make an effort to enjoy the present moment?

Embrace your “now.” Smell it, feel it, tug it, squeeze it and hold it because there will never be another moment quite like it. Refrain from labeling it as good, bad, difficult, miserable or blissful; it just is. Allow yourself to be in the “nowness” of your journey. And the next time you are at the gym, walking the dog, rushing to get home, belting out a tune in the shower or fooling around in the bedroom, remind yourself to take pleasure in the moment and enjoy it, because if not now…then when?

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