I find it difficult to stay in the moment. I do not mean this in some general sense, but in a literal and specific sense of the expression. Distracting tasks, emotional states, and life in general is usually experienced in a state of vitae interruptus. Planning for the future and worrying about past events both result in a net loss of Now. But in order to really experience life, that is in its most vibrant and meaningful sense, one has to be completely present.
How does one practice staying in the moment? Many books teach meditation, others talk about relaxation techniques. Some people attune their focus to laser-like precision on whatever task is at hand. I prefer to use breathing exercises. By focusing my breath on the air that passes over the skin beneath my nose I can hone in on how I’m feeling. But even so, the struggle remains to practice this technique frequently enough to amount to any real length of time.
Consider the following two events, both nearly identical except in mind. You’re taking a shower, you’re in a hurry to get to work, out-of-habit you clean yourself using the appropriate products in the right ways. All the while you’re thinking of deadlines, projects, what traffic will be like, maybe about finances, etc.
or
You’re taking a shower, you’re completely present while luxuriating in the sensations of the way the water hits your body, the differences in temperature, the sound of the water, the scent of the soaps and shampoos. In this instant, you don’t worry about deadlines, or what happened yesterday, or about traffic. You only think about the now and how it makes you feel.
Scenario one feels all too familiar. Scenario two carries with a sense of comfort that isn’t present in the former. Why is that? I suspect that the part of the mind that deals with abstraction, planning, self-examination is not terribly good at contentment.
For me, having been born without a facility for experiencing zen-like focus and tranquility, I have a short cut to being present. When I go hiking for miles out into the wilderness, I hear nothing man-made apart from my footfalls. There are no cars, no airplanes, no radios, no internet videos, and no screaming children to divert my attention. There is only the wilderness; the trees, plants, grass, rocks, earth and streams, and the wildlife; the birds, the scampering squirrels, the deer to leave their muted impressions.
It is there and then that I feel replenished. In the forests I find my reset button and I am connected with all around me.
Modern life has the deleterious side effect of keeping man out of balance with nature and the interconnectedness of the world is lost in the digital age. Remember to take the time to experience being. No matter how brief the experience may last, it is urgently integral to maintaining good health and peace of mind.
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