Being In The Moment

I am waiting while Photoshop renders a 3D assignment for class.  And it will take awhile it seems.  Actually, it probably wouldn't take so long if I wasn't so impatient and keep poking at it, which makes it stop and have to restart.  Which leads me to the topic of "Mindfulness".

I am intrigued by the whole concept of mindfulness and have done a bit of reading on Buddhism and try to meditate on a regular basis.  In fact, several years ago I took a course on Mindfulness Based Meditation.  My meditation practice however is in line with my dieting practice - almost nonexistant at the moment.

But the idea of 'being in the moment' was a concept which on one level I could acknowledge and understand.  However, it was not something I think I actually experienced.  I have lists, mental, if not physical lists.  And I seem to constantly be going over them in my mind.  (Actually, I don't have a monkey mind - it is more of a gorilla mind.)

And then it happened......I actually experienced being in the moment and I have to thank Texter for it in a way.

This was the scene.  I had gone to measure Texter for her ball gown and since I was only a few minutes from the beach, decided to spend a few minutes on a beautiful fall day, strolling the beach, before heading back on my 2 hour drive home.  Texter and I took one of the dogs and headed for the beach.

Now it was a beautiful day.  Not to cold, sun out, a little windy.  Texter and I were having a pleasant conversation. I was getting a little disgusted that I couldn't find any 'good shells'.  No good shells!  Really? Besides that, ALL I COULD THINK ABOUT WAS ALL THE THINGS I HAD TO DO!

So for about 20 minutes I trudged down the beach, pouting over the shell situation and ignoring everything else around me.  Then it hit me.  I was not in the moment in any form or fashion.  Here was the perfect situation of company and location, and I wasn't mentally there.  I was fretting about things I had no way of doing anything about at that moment and I wasn't enjoying where and when I was.

I suddenly realized what I was doing.  I was doing everything but being in the moment.  I stopped myself and asked myself 'what the heck?' and took a deep breath and made the decision to let everything but the beach, Texter, the 'moment' take over.

And with that decision, I felt about 20 pounds lighter and there were good shells!  

And there was a crab.  Texter and I have a long history with the beach and crabs and it seemed like an omen that after I got into the moment, here on the beach in the fall was a crab about the size of my hand.

So now I know what 'being in the moment' feels like and it is a wonderful feeling.