It’s safe to say we all, conciously or subconsiously, have thought about or are continually forward-looking to the “next thing”. We want the pieces to fit nicely together. It gives a sense of accomplishment and yet gives us a sense of security. “Once the house is clean,” or “Once I get to this point,” or “If only this would happen, then,” or “Everything will settle down or improve once x, y, and z happen.” What is our motivation? A to-do list and organization can be a life saver, but are we forward-looking to the point that we are missing the moment?
This is always a great topic for me to consider – sometimes in great depth. These grounding subjects are often those pivotal topics that help generate good, constructive change in our lives. Perhaps that may be turning from a behavior, habit or tendency that is not healthy or positive for you and your family. Whatever it is, I hope this piece of perspective that helps to ground me will do the same for you in some way!
Missing the moment. I can tell you right now I’ve missed (too) many moments. Often focusing on a grass is greener posture or outlook. And, so far in my life, I have been able to conclude that the grass is never greener it’s just different. When you have x, y and z down-pat, that is precisely the point in time that a, b, and c become more complicated. I think it is safe to say that this grass-is-greener approach can be applied to almost every single area of life.
How do we combat this? How do we move forward without crossing the boundary line between planning ahead in a responsible manner and totally missing the moment by longing for the “next thing”? Personally (and this is going to be different in size, quantity and presentation for everyone), a thankful heart is the best way to fight against the temptation to totally overlook the beauty in the present moment. When we are thankful and flooding our hearts and minds with those things, there truly is no room for negative. In the moment when life feels like it might be pulling you in a thousand different directions, try to cultivate a thankful heart by either listing (in your mind or on paper) 3 things over which you can genuinely smile over. That could be the little note your little one wrote, the funny thing your significant other said to you yesterday, or just that the sun is shining in Pittsburgh (but, for real that is a blessing!).
Let’s make it a practice to tackle this life moment by moment, giving ourselves grace when we fail and extending grace to those around us. More often than not, it’s the people closest to us that we need to do this with most. The glass is half full, ya’ll!
