I am home, Seattle, from my 5 week stay in Florida. It's cold, rainy and grey with precious sunshine too. It's home.

Personal Development

Stay In The Present Moment

Stay in the present moment, now, don’t let it slip away. I have stated it, and I am sure you have heard it from others too. Seriously, what does it mean, and how do you stay in the moment?

You have busy lives, with work, assorted tasks, errands, housekeeping chores, and caring for your family. Your life is one continuous loop. Finish one day. Rest. Start over.

What is living in the moment?

Being conscious of what is going on now in your life. Being aware of what is happening in this space of time.

Why is being present so important?

It is the key to your health and happiness. It eliminates worry and anxiety, because your thoughts are not in the future. Regret and depression is diminished, because you are not thinking about the past. Life unfolds in the present. We all squander precious minutes of our lives with regrets, worrying and multitasking to get through the day.

There are several things that get in the way of living in the moment.

Multi-tasking

At one point in my life, I thought being able to do more than one thing at a time was healthy, and youthful. I now know it is foolish. I wonder how much I missed out on, because I was not fully involved with the task at hand.

Worry, anxiety and fear

Don’t worry about the past. It is gone. Thinking about what you could have or should have done is depressing. The future is not here. Think about your future when planning how you want it to be.

When you worry about your future you become anxious and fearful.

Another main point about living in the moment is memory. As you age your memories become important. When you multitask, ruminate about the past, and worry about the future you miss what is happening now.

A few years ago, I was worried about my future, and I lost an entire summer. I could have enjoyed that time with my family. I call it my lost summer. I am here today and thriving in the future I was worried about. What a waste. Don’t allow this to happen to you.

When you focus on the past, try to do so for a reason. For example, reliving a past success, or when you made a mistake; to understand what went wrong, so not to repeat it.

When you focus on your future, do so to plan, and prepare how you want your life to be. Think about your past, and your future in small doses.

Problems arise when you focus intently or compulsively on the past or the future. When you catch your mind wondering, simply change your thought to what you are doing now. Learn to savor the moment and enjoy it.

“Now is the only time we have, and the only time we have any control over.” - Richard Carlson

If you are in a beautiful place and think you want to come back some day. Relax, because you are already there. Savor the moment.

When sipping a cup of coffee or tea, shelling peas, washing dishes or taking a bath, engage your senses. Enjoy it as you are doing the one thing.

As Mark Twain said, “ I have known a great many troubles, but most of them never happened.”

In conclusion, living in the present moment requires you take the time to appreciate where you are, what you're doing, and with whom. There is so much to learn and enjoy about living in the now. I have decided to write an e-book. I will let you know when it is ready.

Honor yourself!

For more information check out Pocket Mindfulness​

​

Personal Health

Boring Fiber

I agree. Fiber is boring to talk about however, it is important to your gut and your general health.

Most people don’t have enough fiber in their diet. Are you one of those people? Could consuming more fiber help you improve your health?

Fiber is especially important if you have high cholesterol, diabetes, gastrointestinal disease and some cancers.

If you don’t get enough fiber from your diet, consider adding one the over-the-counter fiber types. I admit, I don't get enough fiber everyday from my diet therefore, I add a supplement. (See article below, 9 ways to Add More Fiber-Rich Foods to Your Diet)

If you choose this route remember not to consume it within a two hour window of taking medications.

Stay alert.

​ 9 Ways to Add More Fiber-Rich Foods to Your Diet Good RX. Written by Candace Nelson, MS, CN | Reviewed by Karla Robinson, MD​

For The Memories

Patti LaBelle and Micheal McDonald. "On My Own"​

"On My Own" was written and produced by the late Burt Bacharach and his former wife Carole Bayer. Enjoy.​
​