Saturday Serenity: Leaving The Past Behind

It’s Saturday, and I have my usual large mug of coffee sitting in front of me, and once again I am feeling grateful to be staring out at Lake Michigan after a tumultuous week.  Stress.  Why do we allow ourselves to take it farther into our thoughts than the actual time we experienced it?  I feel as if this week (for me, anyway) was so stressful that it felt surreal.  As cliché as this might sound, it was like something out of a movie (and not a pleasant one, I might add).  So here I am with one of my favorite beverages, looking out at beautiful Lake Michigan, and yet my stressful thoughts have crept into my mind when there is no reason for them to be there!

I have read a lot about practicing the power of now.  Being in the moment, mindfulness, of that which is going on at the present and nothing to do with the past or future.  It is one of the hardest concepts for me to wrap my head around.  And yet, in and of itself it can be a huge stress release.  If I pay attention to my surroundings at this very moment, they are very pleasant.  Comfy couch, tasty coffee, and a view that is sublime.  So why am I ruminating on some extremely unpleasant circumstances of this past week that I can literally feel in my gut?

I don’t know why I am doing that; if I could just stay present in the moment; wow, what power that brings, don’t you think? Eckhart Tolle wrote an incredible (yet extremely deep) book called, “The Power of Now”.  I think there were a lot of us that found it difficult to understand, so he followed with the book, “Practicing the Power of Now”.  Both books talk about quieting our mind, and looking at the world in the present moment.

Here is my favorite quote of all time and quite frankly, very fitting for those of us who need to focus more on the ‘now’ and leave the past where it belongs:  in the rear-view mirror of our minds.

Here’s to a Saturday filled with joyful moments right NOW!!