Have you ever reached for your coffee and didn’t notice you already drank it? Or driving down the road and wondering how you got there? Lose your keys? Misplace your wallet? Many times, we just move through life on autopilot not taking the time to notice our surroundings. We spend time with people but not really present, or we just rush through our day not taking the time to enjoy the moments. We move mindlessly through our lives just doing, but not necessarily being. I have learned through this healing journey how precious life is and the importance of taking it all in. We are never promised tomorrow, so it is important to appreciate everything that life has to offer us today.
I noticed when I was on vacation recently how I was not doing that anymore. My brain is all over the place and I’m only half listening. I’m not watching where I am going and covered in bruises from bumping into things. In that moment I realized I am on the opposite side of mindfulness; I am no longer present. I think a lot of times that happens when we make major life changes and start to feel overwhelmed. I made a major life move a year and a half ago, and I’m sure that is also the time I stopped practicing mindfulness. We get thrown in survival mode, doing what is needed, forgetting that life is passing us by. The important lesson about living a healthy, happy life is to understand that it is all about the journey, not the destination. We must remember to take it all in, because every step of the way is important and can be so beautiful, but we must be present enough in our own lives to be able to see it. We should appreciate the people in our lives and make them feel important while we are here.
I was happy I noticed that in the first few days of my recent trip because I was able to be present with my boys and take it all in. This was the first time in five years that we were all together, and we ate, we laughed, and we were fully present and engaged. My heart is full, and I will remember conversations and every moment of my trip with them. I also came back knowing that it is time for me to be present and mindful once again in every aspect of my daily life. I must come off autopilot and come out of survival mode. Once again, I can see myself slipping and allowing my past to dictate my present. In my past blogs, I always talk about how you must be present while trying to heal and it is very true, and it is always ongoing. I may have healed so much in the past decade, but each step has a new step after that, and it is very easy to get lost and remain stagnant on a step. We get tired, we get complacent, but the trick is to keep moving and keep growing.
I mentioned that life is a journey not a destination, but we do have to set goals for ourselves that we want to reach. Once you reach that goal make a new one. Keep moving. My goal was to get to New Jersey and start a new life for myself. I have achieved the beginning part of that goal, but my life still doesn’t look exactly how I imagined it. Yes, I made it here, but what I realized on my trip is that I am not living, I am just surviving again. I am stuck on a step. My life looks different than what I imagined it would be once I got here because, as usual, the Universe had other plans for me. That is ok but I think I got lost and confused about what to do next. What I must do now is be present and be mindful and pay attention to the signs and listen for the guidance. When we are living one day at a time and one moment at a time, then that guidance does come, and we can see it and hear it. When we are all over the place like I have been, then it is easy to miss it. I became complacent, I became stagnant. I settled for less than. Once again, it is time for me to take stock of where I am and where I want to be. It is time to make moves and oversee my destiny. I know better than to let life happen to me. The lesson is to just keep going. Be in the moment. Be mindful. The Universe always has a better plan than anything I could imagine.
I have to be present and trust. You have to be present and trust.
In love and light,
Fran
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