Another thing that goes hand-in-hand with simple living is
living intentionally in the moment. This
is a bit harder for me than simplifying my life; sometimes I get caught up with
working towards my “ideal life” that I forget to enjoy the good things that are
right now.
How many times have I robbed myself of today’s joy worrying
about the future? Or regretting the
past? More times than I care to admit.
The fact of the matter is this: 95%
of the things I worry about never come to pass! That right there should be
enough incentive for me not to worry.
And what about living in the past?
What benefit comes from sitting around regretting the things I have
done, or wishing to relive some good times?
While it is good to use past
experiences to better ourselves, such as learning from mistakes, dwelling on
and bemoaning past mistakes is futile.
Move on!
How many times did I miss my children growing up by not
being intentional? More times than I
care to admit; whether it was me being so focused on myself that I didn't see
them or so focused on some electronic that I didn't hear them. But if I take my
advice from the paragraph above, I learn from my mistakes and move on. Unfortunately, I can not go back and relive
those years when they were little children, but I can learn from the mistakes
and not make them with Remy. I can be
intentional now with my girls, even though they no longer live at home. I can listen to them when they call or when
they are home, and spend quality time with them when I do see them.
Sometimes I get all worked up about wanting my “little cabin
in the woods” and “ideal life”. I’ll
spend hours on the computer researching the perfect spot. When I do, I miss the
birds singing in the oak tree outside my window, the purple mountains in the
distance, and the lowing of cattle down in the valley. I miss the opportunity to sit on the rocking
chair out on the porch with Chad sipping iced tea while listening to my wind
chimes sway in the gentle breeze. Maybe
instead of sitting on my computer researching things that are not in the plan
at this moment, I can focus on being grateful for what I have right
now, at this point of my life. How many years did I want to move to a little
house in the country? Maybe I should
enjoy what I have.
Great advice, Rebecca! Thanks for the reminder. It sounds so simple, but it doesn't happen automatically. One must be intentional about living in the moment.
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