Being Present

This past year has been a whirlwind for my family as we were getting acclimated to living in Minnesota, built a house, moved, were involved in many activities with our children, and my business grew fast! When things ever went awry I noticed one constant that was a negative - not being 100% present in what I was doing. Thus, the perfect first blog post of the year!

Have you ever found yourself sitting with a friend or spouse sipping a cup of coffee or glass of wine and found yourself watching their lips move but you can’t hear what they are saying because you have hundreds of other thoughts going through your head?

Sad, right? But oh so true. In the hustle and bustle of the world we need to stop and check in with ourselves. Are you enjoying right now? Are you 100% present in your day?

I personally have noticed that I am not present in every aspect of my day. There is a constant check list I’m making in my mind of all the things I have to do ... dentist appointments, eye appointments, preschool field trips, sign Sawyer up for sports, sign up for yoga class, grocery list, laundry, oil change, etc. etc. We all have crazy long lists! Then comes checking Facebook and Instagram to have that “check out” moment of the day to see what everyone else is doing. It all gets very chaotic and a whirlwind. We are always anticipating and planning the next thing we are going to do.

We should enjoy being alive now - It is very basic but so simple. Everyone rushes around in a panic to try to achieve something that they feel in their minds is essential. But is it really? Why not enjoy the journey and adventure going on right now in life?

What if everyone stopped to evaluate their priorities before running out into their day? Would their day go differently? People are trying to be a “perfect” vision they have in their mind - what if they switched that vision to happiness? Sometimes all we need to do is change our way of thinking.

In yoga one of the hardest poses is Savasana - lying on the back, arms and legs spread out at 45 degrees, eyes closed, and breath is deep. Whole body is to be relaxed. Release all control of the mind and body - not think of anything just relax. This is very hard for people as they can’t “let go” of thinking, they are attached to constantly creating thoughts, worries, agendas, etc. It definitely takes practice to get in the correct state of mind in this pose in yoga. I look forward to this pose and savor every minute of it! It is amazing the way my day and life feel after I practice yoga. Sometimes the best thing you can do is not think, not wonder, not imagine, not obsess. Just breathe and have faith that everything will work out for the best.

Life goes fast. This past September I dropped my 3 year old off at preschool for the first time - it was an emotional day. I had visions of my baby growing up so fast - my heart ached as I longed to hold onto him forever. But what I have come to realize is that it is most important to be present with them - instead of being sad they aren’t little babies that watch to cuddle all the time or anticipating the future of them being in college. Be present - Enjoy now. When we have this mentality it takes a lot of stress out of our life and puts us 100% in the moment which always creates a beautiful outcome for all who are involved - we enjoy our life better and the people around us have our whole attention, love, and happiness!

Think about your life - are you being present in every aspect of your life?