The Now You are Living In

It is so easy to take the little things for granted. To skip the fact that we just witnessed the most beautiful sunrise while sipping a cup of joe in peace and quiet. We glance over the brief interaction at the grocery store and continue on with our day. We get caught up in our day-to-day routine and forget that each day of our life is a piece of fabric for the tapestry that will one day hang up on the wall. Our minds run a million miles an hour on our journey to something more. The more can be a variety of things. Maybe it's a special date on the calendar, a planned trip, a better, healthier version of yourself even. But here is a little secret I want to share with you: The more you are seeking can be found in the now you are living.

Have you ever heard the saying, "Live like tomorrow doesn't exist?" What if that were a true statement, and not just a catchy phrase? Did you know that every moment you have experienced to date is what makes you who you are? What moments of your past would you slow down to appreciate more knowing what you know now? In some of the hardest years I've experienced it was difficult to live in and appreciate the moment. It felt as if I were dying a slow death and all I wanted was to feel alive again. But looking back, I had a variety of simple encounters with strangers that made a difference. Days where someone else's smile and kind words felt as if they were from God Himself. I'm sure I didn't appreciate those moments enough, or those people enough. I can get stuck in the "caged bird reality." The caged bird reality says that you are stuck and something or someone has to come along to open the cage for your release. It makes you believe that until that release day comes, you cannot have lasting joy or fulfillment. This plays into the idea of us seeking more and always living for a future that is not certain.

The reality is this: You are not trapped in a cage, waiting until the magic release date where you suddenly get to fly. So often we arrive at the future we once dreamed of, and we are still seeking more... Why is that? Maybe, just maybe, the more you are seeking is found in the now you are living. You may be idealizing a future that isn't even promised to you! But what you do have is right now. This moment, these people, these daily parts of your routine. We think by having something different in our lives, we will be fulfilled. Fulfillment comes when we slow down our inner selves and choose to have a heart of gratitude. The more we seek comes when we recognize the gift of today. When was the last time you slowed down that much and chose to remind yourself of all you are grateful for? This will free you from the caged bird reality. This will show you just how free you are.

Ask yourself today, "What are the small moments, the encounters with strangers, the moments of beauty in my past that encouraged me to keep going? How have these moments made me who I am? How have they shaped me into a person who understands another person's pain?" Then reflect on what your day-to-day looks like now. How can you practice slowing down and recognizing that your life is not by chance, but by design? How can you practice gratitude? How can you live like tomorrow doesn't exist?

If you have lived caged, waiting for release, today can be that day for you, my friend. The key to more is found in the now you are living in.