Living
What constitutes living? It sounds like a question ripe for a bevy of Facebook responses.
I asked that question to no one in particular and here’s the answer The Grasshopper gave: “Live the moment you’re in.”
That, for me, is living. Conversely, attempting to live in a moment you are not in is “Deading.”
I had a tree surgeon come by yesterday and remove a lot of dead wood from a big oak tree in our front yard. It got me to thinking about all the dead wood we deal with everyday – moments that contain no life.
We attempt to live in lifeless moments never noticing that they have the ability to break off and rob us of our life.
Lifeless moments are ones that are over and done, or ones that may never arrive. We spend so much time dwelling on these moments that we forget to live.
Living is a now phenomenon – not a 5 minutes ago or 5 years in the future thing.
Living is a byproduct of keeping track of your attention. The minute it wanders off, you are no longer living; you are, instead, accepting a cheap imitation of living.
Want more life in this lifetime? Pay attention to the moment you’re in.
One little practice that delivers more life is to start paying attention to things that you do with automaticity. Start with something as simple as washing your hands. Most of us aren’t present to our hand washing. We’re off in another moment while our hands wash themselves. Sense the feel of the soap and warm water on your hands, hear the water splashing about, notice the suds being washed away, smell the aroma of clean hands.
As silly as this may sound until you try it, is that a simple practice like this delivers more life. It opens you up to the notion that you can live more life each day by paying attention to the moment you’re in.
There are countless theoretical answers to the question, “What constitutes living?” But living your life by a theory is truly “Theo-rectical” – living with your head up your ass.
There is no substitute for the experience of life that present moment awareness brings.
All the best,
John
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