When is the last time you just stopped and took in your surroundings? Just looked around right where you were and took it all in. Has it been awhile? Where are you right now? Stop for a moment and take in your surroundings. Find something beautiful to focus on and enjoy the moment. Give it a few minutes. Look at the sky, some flowers, a sunrise or sunset. Take in the scene at your home. I’m sure you put a lot of time and effort into decorating your house. Look at it. Appreciate it. Take it in. And feel proud that you made a home that you love. (If you haven’t made your home beautiful…what the hell are you waiting for…get moving on that decor! It’s where you spend the most time. Make sure you love everything you see everyday.)
On yesterday’s podcast I was talking about sitting on my porch with my coffee early in the morning. It was the perfect morning. The weather was cool, but not cold. I could hear the mourning doves, seagulls and ducks. Even the fish were jumping in the lagoon. And it was an amazing pink sky as the sun was coming up. So peaceful, so beautiful. It’s one of the main reasons I moved full time to the Jersey Shore.
You not only have to take time to discover and enjoy these moments…you need to savor them. Be present in the moment. Take just a minute on your way to work to enjoy scenery on the ride. It was always dark when I left for work in the morning and I would make sure to look up and see the moon and all the stars. It really always is such an amazing sight to see. All you have to do is look up! Look up!
As the quote alludes to….mindfulness isn’t hard, we just have to remember to do it. And we forget all the time. Life is passing by so fast. We have to stop and enjoy or we’re going to miss it. One summer I rented a shore house with a bunch of my friends. I remember being very specific about how I spent my time there. I was usually the first one there on Friday’s so I would jump in my bathing suit, grab a beer and sit on the deck that overlooked the bay to soak up the sun. I would sometimes listen to music or sometimes I would just take in the sounds of the shore. As I was usually the first one up in the morning I would do the same then as well. Yes, it was coffee I was enjoying then…not a beer. I remember being very conscious to savor each moment I could that summer. And I did. When the rental ended at the end of September I wasn’t as depressed as I normally was since I made the most of my time there while I had it.
This is what we need to do with most things in our life. Especially the things we love. Be mindful. Stop taking the special moments of your life for granted. We need to do this with our meals, our beverages, time with the kids (even the furkids), a movie, concert. Our drive to and from work. Time we get to spend with friends. Savor it all. It’s the little things in life that make it so great so make sure to enjoy them as often as you can.
I used to have a very short ride to work everyday. I had an adorable, bright red Toyota Celica that I loved. It had a sunroof and I remember thinking it wasn’t worth it to open it for the 10 minute ride to and from work. But I loved driving with my sunroof open. It took one second to hit the open button and one second to hit the close button. I finally told myself I was being stupid and lazy and of course I should open the sunroof. Now, I no longer have a sunroof and I’m glad I started finally using it while I had it! Something so simple…just make the time for it and enjoy!
It’s simple….but not always easy. My new mantra. We know what we have to do. We just have to make ourselves do it. This is a hard one because we are always in auto mode. But remind yourself to stop and smell the roses. It’s the people who take the time to notice the things they love that love their life! Yep, it’s just that simple. Not always easy to remember…but try it. Try to take a little time today and just savor something you love. Be it something you are eating, looking at, smelling or listening to. I bet you will remember that moment for a lot longer than in the past. Because you stopped to savor it.
It’s a “I wish it were cocktail Friday” Thursday. Now go have your best day yet! It’s almost the weekend!
Listen to me discuss this topic on today’s podcast of “The Hopefulist”. Available on Apple, YouTube, Spotify, TuneIn and Stitcher!
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