Living in the Moment

I am sitting at a café right now, sipping my coffee, feeling pretty excited about life. My attitude isn’t always like that, to be 100% honest. This last week is a perfect example of that (just ask any of my roommates). I was feeling down and out, it was one of those weeks where nothing seemed to be going right no matter how hard I tried. From emotions, to school, to workouts, nothing had gone quite the way I had planned, I even dropped the flowers that I bought for myself on Valentine’s day, and ruined them. I had a little pity party for myself and was looking for something to make myself feel better when my mom (that woman deserves so much for putting up with me), sent me this quote:

“Maybe this is the true secret to being fulfilled and content. Living in the moment with God, defined by His truth, and with no unrealistic expectations for others or things to fill me up. Not reaching back for what was lost by yesterdays. And not reaching for what I hope will be in my tomorrow. But living fully with what is right in front of me. And truly seeing the gift of the moment.” -Lysa Terkeust.

It was exactly what I needed to hear in that moment. I needed to stop regretting mistakes, stop planning out every moment in my life, and I needed to start living in the moment. I’m learning so much everyday of my life, and think this quote is always a good reminder to be thankful for the present moment. It is so easy to get caught up in the “what ifs?” or the “I’ll be happy when..” but then there will always be more to get, or another goal to reach.

Sometimes it’s good to remind ourselves of how amazing life is. We are blessed to be alive, to breathe in fresh air, and to wake up and see the sun coming up again on a new day.

So even though Valentine’s day felt like the worst day ever, I learned something. I learned that life can get you down. Rain comes. There might be days when you spill coffee over brand new white shoes, you might burn your banana bread, or maybe your roommate eats your left overs….but are you going to let that rob you of the pleasure in the moment?

I’m still working on it, but choosing to focus on opportunity over fear, love over anger, hope over anxiety, and living in the moment instead of dwelling on the past.