“Please take a seat. Someone will be with you shortly.”
As I responded to the instruction I had been given, I found myself looking at an empty seat opposite me. It was an opportunity to reflect on a lingering question that often haunts me. What is the best thing I can do right now to live my life to the fullest? Life reminded me of the simple answers that I find easy to forget.
Be present. Being fully present in the moment that is now, with my mind focused, open, and aware, I create an opportunity to see. Opening my heart in the moment, inviting my senses and emotions to share what each is experiencing, I discover I am seeing more with clarity. Releasing my soul to respond to the opportunity with acute awareness brings everything together in answering a question that repeats. What will I do with what I know and have in this moment?
Be willing. Awareness and opportunity are never the end of the story. They are the introduction. I often feel pushed or pulled, called or responsive. Regardless of the situation, I have a decision to make. What will I do with my freedom? I have resources. I have skills at my disposal. I have abilities that may be unique in the moment. Everything that I have within my heart and reach amplifies the question at hand. What will I do in this moment with my freedom?
Act. I know it’s obvious. Experience reminds me that there are moments where I am frozen, unable and ultimately unwilling to act in support of the powerless and those in need. I hear the voice across the generations calling out to me. “After looking at the way things are on this earth, here’s what I’ve decided is the best way to live: Take care of yourself, have a good time, and make the most of whatever job you have for as long as God gives you life. And that’s about it. That’s the human lot.” (Ecclesiastes 5.18)
In each moment, I will take my place.
