SLOW DOWN

Do me a favor, please. Sit back and think of those moments when everything was perfect. Come on, there is at least a MOMENT when all was just right.

I had a moment like this just yesterday morning. I was lying in bed completely warm and cozy and relaxed. I could hear the rain outside landing on the roof, the trees, the fence. I thought, "Ah, life is so good."

But then something happened. I had to get out of bed! Now all those warm, fuzzy thoughts vanished.

"Oh, no! What am I am going to do about this? And what about that?"

"How am I going to get that done today?! I don't have time for this!"

"Ah, man, this is all wrong and that didn't go right."

You know what I mean. You've been there. But think about it. Just minutes earlier everything in life was PERFECT. Why the sudden change? After all, not too long ago everything in my life had been pretty much the same.

So I said a prayer—a LONG one. And I must admit I did quite a bit of complaining and crying. And then a thought came to me—a children's song. "Listen, Listen," the song goes. So I decided to do just that. I closed my eyes, focused on breathing deep and LISTENED.

It took a little while, but eventually my mind became CLEAR. My priorities were aligned, my worries lessened, my anxiety calmed, my mistakes forgiven, my determination rekindled.

What was the main lesson I learned from all this? To take time to LIVE IN THE PRESENT MOMENT. You see, I had been focused so much on the future. I was forgetting to enjoy the moment and look at all the good things in life. Now, some people make take this statement and use it as an excuse to be impulsive or make pleasurable, but poor choices. That is no what I mean. What I mean is this: There is wisdom in taking TIME to slow down, BREATHE and LISTEN. After all, a clear mind makes for a more productive and healthy person.