Live in the Moment!

Today I had an eye opener. I have not watched any life lessons from Oprah since my last Oprah post but this afternoon I did. I chose one about a mistake a mother had made. I actually remember the interview she did with this mother who left her 2 year old in the car while she was at work for 8 hours. Sadly the 2 year old died. The lady was not in her normal routine. She didn't usually take her daughter to the babysitter, her husband did. It was the first day back to school for teachers. She had to run some errands. She was not thinking or paying attention to the present moment.

Today's life lesson.

Slow down and live in the present moments.

I worry. I worry all the time about things that may never happen. About things that honestly don't really matter. Not knowing what will happen makes me anxious. I don't like the unknown therefore I try to set myself up in situations that I know everything about. I plan for the unknown. like it is possible to plan for the unknown. How can you plan for something you don't know? I like to be ahead. I like to be early with everything in my life. Early to appointments, early to have a chore done, early to get this, and early to do that. I feel like if I don't do it now, or make the plans for it, then I will miss it.. But I am actually missing a lot more living like this. I am missing the present.
We are all guilty of this. It is how the world works. You are caught up in the moment that you are trying to get to instead of the moment you are currently in. The things we miss out on. The things we take advantage of. The things that should mean everything but yet seem to be in the way or meaningless.

I thought, how could a mother not know her child was in the car? Sleeping child or not, how do you not look around you.. I have to say that I am very very aware of my surroundings. Everyday everything. I don't know how she could not know/think/see her child but I do not judge her. My heart actually aches for her. If I am thinking how could she not know, I can't even imagine what she ask her self. What she thinks of her self. I am not here to judge her, I am here to learn from her. To learn that we must slow down.

Then there was the clips from the interview with a lady who was in a tragic accident. She was burned on over 80% of her body. After being in a induced coma for 3 months, she decided (while in the coma she says) to live. Live for her self and for her children. She said she had a "vision" something/someone told her she has a  choice. She could go to the other side or she could choose to live, which would be really hard.

She chose to live. She chose the hard way. She cant do certain things every day. Her fingers don't work normally. She can't lift her own children to hold them. She has to give her children cold baths so that she can bathe them. The little things that she lives for.. I am guilty of just passing by.

I am going to slow down. I am going to be in the present. With my entire life. I get caught up in what is next and forget what I have right now. Right now could be the last time I live. It is the only guaranteed moment of life for me. Why would I or anyone look pass that?

It is more than being thankful. It is being appreciative. We should appreciate each moment. We should read that extra book to our children even though it is 30 mins past bedtime and you have to study for a test, let the kitchen stay dirty one extra night so we can play go fish, take a walk outside even though you need to do the laundry, get up an extra 10 mins early so you have time to stand outside and take in everything God is and has done, smile at the people you don't know, hug the people you do know, let the person trying to cross traffic cross in front of you, jump in the puddle even though you will have to change shoes, get messy, and breath. We all need to breath. Be thankful to breath and show appreciation and take advantage of our breath by making the best of our thoughts, movements, words, and doings.

Today, I am going to strive to live in the present whatever I am doing, whoever I am with, regardless of what comes next. Today... I will slow down my life for myself, my family, and for God. This is how:

Breathe
Do one thing at a time
Do less


Once again.. thank you Oprah for putting amazing people on your show. It wasn't Oprah that opened my eyes.. it was the ladies sharing their story but if it wasn't for Oprah, I would not have heard/seen those amazing ladies and then maybe I would have missed the beautiful smile across my chicas face when I jumped in the puddle with her.

Yesterday is history.  Tomorrow is a mystery.  And today?  Today is a gift.  That's why we call it the present.  ~Babatunde Olatunji