Living for the Moments

Hello Ladies,

A friend phone me today and she said she was very big on living for the moment.  Maybe she will write about it on her blog, but I am stealing her thunder right now.  

It was so refreshing to hear her talk about the importance of the moment, because sometimes there are some awfully sanctimonious teachings against living for the moment, which can discourage ladies from doing anything unless it is perceived as something important for the future.

There was also a time during our lives when we were warned about "instant gratification" and told to wait to do what would give you any joy.

We both concluded that we were all for the moment, because, with all the losses and tragedies around us, we may not have many future moments.

When Christ taught about not worrying, He was speaking about the future worries of food and clothing and other physical things. Just writing this makes me feel the urgency of this weeks meals and laundry, clothing, etc. There is always something ahead to prepare.

If we can create sweet moments and live for the goodness of each moment, doing things that bring happiness and yes, good pleasure, tomorrow's challenges seem brighter.

That is why I say to have regular leisure time, reading, tea time, soft moments of puttering about the house, and anything that interests us. Housework and deadlines need to be balanced by light activities that make you smile.

When considering how tense we can get, I always remember the poem "Hurry the Baby" by Nixon Waterman. People are too admired for what they achieve, than for just being our own family members, or being nice, good or happy.

There has to be a better perspective on the precious moments, or we will end up like the last line in that poem, which is a person who "wins" a nerve-wracking, health destroying and soul-deadening life of fear and depression.

I think we can do better than that.  We can live for each moment, and be happy. It makes for a better past and a more optimistic future.  

If you have assigned yourself too much to do, take a moment and do something less pressured, and you might find you get the serious work done sooner. 

 I think it is also important to do things when you are interested in doing them. We all tend to drag and feel more tired if we really don't have an interest in something.  I have put away sewing projects I just couldn't feel enthused about, and then gone on to something that pleased me more in that moment.  Instant gratification, if you want to call it that, is a way of making you feel encouraged enough to continue on things you must do.  That is why I think a phone call to a friend is instant gratification.

The fuel for the necessary tasks of your day at home might possibly come from taking a few moments just for relaxation and enjoyment before or after cleaning the kitchen, sweeping  or catching up on the laundry.

We need to also try and educate our children about the importance of a moment and teach them how to rest and relax; how to enjoy. You think about the details of having tea, for example, and the sound of the cup being placed on the saucer. You notice the steam from the tea and the way the shiny tea things sparkle in the light.  You consider the precious souls sitting around the table and appreciate their existence.   We used to deliberately create an experience like this, and then ask the children what all the saw, heard and felt during these moments.

There was another poem called "The Pleasant Land" (Sounds like a nice blog name) about how little drops of water seem so insignificant and small but can make up a mighty ocean, and little grains of sand make up a huge expanse of land.  So a moment,  lived happily for that moment, adds up to other appreciated moments to make a larger life.

In thinking back in time about people I knew, I noticed the ones that loved the moment, had less tension over the future, and the future took care of itself.