Awareness

At times, life overwhelms.  One finds one’s self so caught in the moment, that nothing seems visible or possible.  As I find myself trapped in a whirlpool on life’s journey, I see most of the swirl of the moment is actually the mess of moments just past.  The present is unwritten.  The moment is just arriving.  Everything is, now.  I find myself saying, “Master, these are the conditions in which people live, and yes, in these very conditions my spirit is still alive—fully recovered with a fresh infusion of life!  It seems it was good for me to go through all those troubles.  Throughout them all you held tight to my lifeline.  You never let me tumble over the edge into nothing.  But my sins you let go of, threw them over your shoulder—good riddance!”  (Isaiah 38.16, 17)
 
It is far too easy to stay caught in moments just past.  Life is overwhelming.  Combine the turmoil of moments just past with the uncertainties and demands of moments to come and you have a perfect storm.  It can be numbing, controlling, and debilitating all at the same time!
 
There is a three-step process I find helpful.  First, be aware of what is.  Awareness is a gift.  Life’s good, bad, ugly, beauty, and wonder is for our use.  Denial, avoidance, and fear are tools that hurt everyone involved, especially one’s self.  Second, let your awareness rest in the moment that is.  The best advice is to “be” purely in the moment.  This isn’t necessarily a state of quietness, though a first this is a state which can introduce you to everything a moment can bring.  Third, let your awareness carry the lessons life gives.  Guilt isn’t a part of this process.  Learning, anticipating, and being fully and completely alive in what is at this time is integral to realizing all life offers.
 
We live in a world filled with surprises, wonder, and beauty.  It is not always obvious where you will find these gifts.  Often it begins with and in the people closest to your heart.