Happiness in the Present Moment

"Nothing is more precious than being in the present moment. Fully alive, fully aware."
Thich Nhat Hanh

It's Sunday morning, and this is my third attempt at writing Sunday Morning Reflections. The first was going to be about experiences at ShutterFest this past week, and I decided it wasn't off-track enough from photography. My second attempt was with help from Melody Beattie, and just as I was trying to determine if it was too personal, my computer had a brain fart and what I'd written was wiped out.  So here I sit, loving to write on Sunday mornings and stuck with what to pull out of the equivalent of a Denny's All Meat Slam of ideas in my head!

In an attempt to settle on a theme this morning, I took my laptop and headed outside, and that's when it hit me - the importance of simply being happy. At first, it sounded so simplistic - we're all looking for happiness, but most of us miss it too much of the time. I compare it to photographers I met at ShutterFest last week who are too preoccupied with how much they still have to learn and miss how much they've grown already.

As I sit here writing, Sheila's pruning flowers in the butterfly garden; it's a gorgeous day in south Florida and I'm reflecting on where I am right now - not the pain of the path it took to get here, and not worrying about what tomorrow might hold. I'm just in the present.

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past,
worry about the future, or anticipate troubles...
but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly."
Buddha

​There's that old expression about with age comes wisdom, and as I get older, I realize the definition of knowledge is really about experience. We've all made mistakes in our lives, but if we spend too much time looking in the rear view mirror, we'll miss the beauty of the road ahead of us. 

So, here's my point - how about taking a few minutes right now and only thinking about your life...not yesterday or tomorrow - just the present moment? How about being grateful for everything you have in your life right now?  I know for me at this point, the past doesn't count. The mistakes I've made are behind me and the door's always open for those people I've lost to come back. As trite as that may sound, there's plenty of happiness to go around and share. It's that simple.

​We spend so much time dealing with our regrets instead of just following our hearts. And as I've written before, trust your heart because it knows the way!

"The cost of not following your heart, is spending the rest of your life wishing you had."
Unknown Author

Wishing all of you a fantastic day and one where you take the time just to be happy and appreciate all the people who helped you get here! Stay focused on the now and stop worrying about yesterday or what might happen tomorrow. Go for those eleven-second therapeutic hugs thanking whoever's on the other end of the hug for the happiness they've contributed to your life!

Happy Sunday everybody!