Be in the moment

Based on the premise of the film GROUNDHOG DAY this tardy post will be current because the day just repeats itself.  Do let me know if tomorrow you wake to Sonny and Cher’s song, I GOT YOU, BABE as the old adage “truth is stranger than fiction” may apply.

Is there a day that you would most like to live over…and…over….and over? Personally, there are moments in some pretty spectacular days and experiences that upon reflection contained lessons and light and living-full-to-the-brim that remain front and center in my memory, yet I land on the view of let’s see what’s next and let me learn to be present in the moment.  

 

With social media and the permanently attached mobile phone, is living in the moment still possible.  Can we go old school and just watch and ooh-and-ahhh a firework show?  Can we play with the kids and fully engage with them and let the photo-op drop?  

 

By writing this, I reveal my Maam-ness, yet it seems that previous generations could be present, sit and listen and watch the traffic go by.  Literally, I remember many a summer’s evening sitting on the porch with my Mom watching the cars pass…. not a word was spoken, nor a comment made…. we just were…there…. together.

 

The maternal line of my family has a history of feeding the birds. My dad installed a cement pole, anchored it to the ground and hung the bird feeder he built upon it and made certain to place the feeder in the side yard directly in front of the kitchen window, the place where mom spent so many hours and would watch the birds. It was calming and beauty-filled so much so that I almost wanted to dry the dishes.    

 

I purchased a bird feeder, placed it in the yard and can see it from the kitchen and also my study. The Beale lineage remains strong.

 

My word for the year remains NOTICE…...I notice the red bird so regal and stunning as he sits in the tree as the snow falls and know the other birds have to be envious of his looks.  I notice the bully blue jays swoop in and root for the sparrows who won’t be moved. I notice the squirrels gathering to find a loose peanut and carrying it to another space in the yard and burying it for future feasting. 

 

The days do not repeat. We get one shot every 24-hour cycle. Be in it, noticing, receiving, giving and present.