Missing Life

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.” ~Eckhart Tolle
 
I walked out to retrieve the garbage can – one more thing I needed to do before I could leave for my morning meeting. But, on the way back in the house I stopped and realized I was missing the beautiful day. I was so focused on the task, that I didn’t see the cerulean blue sky and the magnificent desert surroundings, I didn’t feel the warmth of the sun that many in the east coast were missing because of the blizzard. I was missing life.
 
Awareness is the key to being mindful and living in the present moment. Yet, my life had become so busy with everything I was doing that I stopped truly living – I was just hurrying from one activity to the next. One of my strengths is being an achiever, yet through a meditation and mindfulness practice, I have learned to balance my need to achieve by not being so driven by accomplishing things on my To Do list. However, research shows that when we get stressed, we resort back to our old habits. I got so busy with my volunteer tasks with the golf tournament and opening a new gallery that I wasn’t sleeping as much and my stress levels were increasing. The signs were there that I wasn’t being mindful because I was running into things and getting bruises, putting my clothes on backwards, breaking things and getting upset over little things. But I missed the signs because I wasn't living in the Now and rushing from one thing that needed to get done to the next without appreciating and enjoying what I was doing. I was not following my own motto to make each day precious. 
 
So, on the way back from emptying the trash, I stopped and enjoyed the majesty of the desert and the life I am fortunate to lead. I am still super busy, but I am taking a few minutes all throughout the day to stop and come back to the present moment and fully enjoy life. I don't want to run myself ragged like I did in my younger years.  I am making the Now my primary focus.
 
What signs do you have when you are stressed and missing life?
 
How can you do to make the Now be the primary focus of your life?