Savour the Moment

Find a tiny slice of peace and a splash of pure joy in mindful moments

As I was sitting in my garden a recent quiet morning, admiring the multiple shades of green in the vegetation and the grey/blues of a hot and stormy sky, listening to the shrill of the cicadas in the trees, drinking tea and taking a deliberate break from busy-ness, a friend reminded me to savour the moment.

There is beauty and learning in each moment of life. We can easily miss it if we are always lost in thought… planning, problem-solving, worrying, rehearsing, ruminating….or caught up in our emotions. But we see it and feel it when we stop and consciously tune into what’s around us and really notice.

Savouring the sounds, the colours, the tastes, the textures, the scents, the feelings these evoke.  

I’ve been doing a lot of that over these past few August weeks as I’ve slowed down, taken a much needed break from my work. I’ve been noticing and enjoying the simple moments, staying present to the sensations of summer. Appreciating the abundance, the beauty, the sweetness all around me. My experience has shown me that in these simple moments we can find a tiny slice of peace and a splash of pure joy. I call them bliss moments. I try to find or to create bliss moments everyday. And I revel in them.  

These mindful moments are especially precious and valuable when I’m feeling low. They help me to remember that everything I need to be happy is right here. And this gives me a sense of ease and freedom.

Take a mindful moment for yourself. Stop. Right now. Take a deep breath and slowly release it. And tune into your surroundings. What do you notice? How does it make you feel?

Here are some things that I’ve noticed when I stopped and tuned into my surroundings:

• The fullness of the trees and the deep green of the lawns on my morning walk.
• The exquisite tastes and colours and textures of my favourite summer breakfast.
• The spectacular colour palette painted across the sky as the sun sets on the horizon of Lake Huron.
• The feeling of the earth under my feet (grass, stones, sand, earth) as I stand in mountain pose, connecting.
• The abundant variety of fruits and vegetables stacked onto the stands at our local farmer’s market.
• The gorgeous array of colours and textures and shapes of my market abundance, as I lay it all out on my kitchen counter to be admired.
• The sweet and subtle scents of carrot tops, of real tomatoes and ripe melons.
• The sunrise colours hidden under the skin of a juicy peach.
• The changing perspective and the effect on my balance as I stand in tree pose in the forest or on the beach.
• The different textures and colours of tree trunks.
• The brightness of moss in a dark wood.
• The leaves rustling in the cooling wind, the feeling on my skin and the movement in my hair.
• The incredible silence of a Sunday morning in a small town.
• The beat of my heart as I sit in silent meditation.
• The habits of the dove family that come to drink in our pond.
• The perfection of a water lily in our zen garden pond, its bright blossoms rising through the dark water and shiny green leaves.

Mindful moments are endlessly available. It’s simple. Just be here.