Enjoy the Moment

Are you an, “Oh I hate Mondays.” and “It’s finally Friday!” kind of person? For you Monday signifies the beginning of a long week at work and Friday means the weekend has arrived and you are free to do whatever your heart desires.

I’m not really that kind of person. I do love my job(s) and I enjoy being with my work friends. Don’t get me wrong, there are some days that are long and grueling to the point where I am ready to be off of work and home relaxing. Sometimes those days happen all week long. By the end of my shift, I am ready to go.

Looking for the next weekend or the next season can be exhausting. It is important to sit back and enjoy where you are at the moment. Instead of saying, “Ugh! It’s Monday. I have to go to work” (said with an eye roll),  try saying, “It’s Monday. I get to go to work and earn a living.” Notice I did not tell you to include a “YAY!” You don’t have to be excited, just grateful. Try living day by day.

When I am at work on Monday and Friday is already looking good, I may take a walk down the hall, take a couple of flights of stairs, or if the weather is nice – I go outside. I recently started doing this with one of my co-worker friends. We will take a 10-15 minute break and go for a walk outside or down the hall to clear our heads. We use this time to debrief with each other. We talk about life or work; whatever is on our minds. It has helped to get things out of our systems so we can go back to doing our work with better focus.  It has been a nice change of pace when work seems extra strenuous.

While I don’t constantly dread Monday and hope for Friday, living on a day to day basis is difficult for me. I am an avid planner. I love to find a goal and plan out how I will achieve it. I enjoy planning trips or making other plans for my future. It is a hobby of sorts that goes back to when I was a child. I remember when my family would plan to go on a trip – vacation, to see family, church camps, etc – my older brother and I would, “make plans”. We would huddle up with a pen and paper and write out what we wanted to do and what we needed to pack. It’s a cute little memory that I still enjoy thinking about when I am making my packing list for trips. Sometimes in all of my planning, I can become overwhelmed and I have to remind myself to step back and take a breath.

Some people constantly look forward to the next season. In the winter, they cannot wait for spring so they can enjoy the nice warmer weather. In the spring they cannot wait for the summer when they can go on vacation. In the summer it is too hot, so they cannot wait for the fall – cooler weather and watching the beauty of the leaves changing colors. In the fall they are ready for the winter because they want to see snow on the ground or go sledding.

Maybe you have allergies so the spring is not a good season for you. Look for a rainbow after a spring shower. If the summer makes you sweat, go for a dip in a creek. If you are cold natured and the winter makes you ache, curl up by the fireplace and read a book. Maybe for you, the fall means hours of cleaning up leaves in the yard. Go camping and make s’mores with friends. There is beauty in every season, we just have to choose it.

This concept applies to the seasons of life as well. When we are kids, we cannot wait to be a teenager. We reach our teens and we cannot wait to graduate high school and become an adult. When we become an adult and go to college, we cannot wait to graduate. We start our career, then we cannot wait to get married. Once we are married we cannot wait for children. Then, when the children are grown, people cannot wait for grandchildren. At some point, people finally notice that they have hoped their lives away. We need to take note of this sooner than later before we blink and our lives have passed us by. Enjoy each season of your life.

Find the exquisiteness of where you are now. If you are in school, enjoy your learning experience. If you have graduated and are working in your career, enjoy it. You worked hard to get there. While you are still single, take time to travel,  do things for you and don’t forget to find ways to serve other people. One day you may not have that liberty. This is the season that I am currently experiencing. I am taking this opportunity to travel, see various music and theatre performances, working on personal growth, and finding ways to serve others. Don’t get me wrong, it would be easy to sit back and only wish for the future to come along now and I do have those kinds of days. In those moments I try to remind myself of the beauty in where I am now. It is also helpful to be surrounded by friends who are there to remind me that there is grace in this season.

People who constantly long for the next season to come are only wishing their lives away. Sit back and enjoy the hot suns of summer, Take in the beautiful colors of autumn, Cozy up to the quietness of winter. Breathe in the wonderful fragrances of spring. Find something you love in every moment.

 

4 thoughts on “Enjoy the Moment”

  1. Your blogs are such a refreshing reminder of all the things we should do and appreciate in our lives. Keep doing what you do! Love you! Vik

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