Daily Cascade

This Very Moment

Prompt: This Moment
Omar Khayyam said, “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life."
How difficult or easy it is to really live in the immediate exact moment, even while knowing it is a happy one?

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Happy feelings have a way of putting a person in the present. But then, the mind wanders. For example, I used to say to myself, "This is great! But what about so and so or a family member having a bad time these days? What about that nasty look my neighbor gave me? What about the world situation?" Then, at the same time, I might be worrying about that beautiful moment's quick departure.

A beautiful moment, even if something ordinary or extraordinary that flees by--such as laughter with family and friends, the warmth of my sons' smiles and hugs, a lovely sunset, or watching how the salamanders dash across the driveway--brings about an awareness of joy. But also, this very awareness can make me or anyone anxious about its passing.

It took me a long time to learn to quiet my hyperactive mind so I could be just in one special moment, be it a moment of joy or of sorrow. So nowadays, at least some moments feel immersive with no effort needed. I can now get lost in writing, music, cooking, and deep conversations. Now, I can be fully present and stay inside a moment.

All this is because I took a simple notebook and found some questions on the web involving Jung's shadow work and wrote longhand, answering those questions, plus adding to their answers anything of my own. This practice became some form of a meditation or an exercise of mindfulness. So now, without my mind jumping around, I can trust and be fully inside a moment rather than worrying about its flight or trying to capture it to make it stay. As a reward, my good moments often linger a lot longer.