Savor the Moment
October is over. Somehow I have no idea where it went or what I did though by looking back over my calendar I can see I was busy. I had company. We celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving. I took a short trip to Colorado to visit my daughter and her family. I even went to a Saturday writing workshop. Writing wise I worked on a new three-book proposal while awaiting approval on a complete I had sent in early September. Approval came without a call for revisions. Yahoo.
Why am I telling you all this? Maybe so someone can tell me how it is that some months simply disappear? (Remember when we were young and thought a year between birthdays, or until the next Christmas or even summer vacation took FOREVER?)
We live in a fast paced world, multi-tasking so much we hardly remember what we’ve done two days after we’ve done it. I’ve decided it’s time to stop and savor the moment. With that in mind, I do several intentional things that make each special moment memorable.
One thing I do is journal. I have for years. At one time it was a way to keep sane—write down my thoughts, keep track of what I did (to prove to myself if no one else that I had actually done something noteworthy with my day.) Now I do that but I also note things that are special, fun, and memorable. Like the story my grandchild told me. Or the beautiful sunrise I see out my window. As Socrates says, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
Another way to savor each special moment is with my camera. I focus to take the picture. I savor again as I view each on my wide screen monitor. Then I print the best and put them in a photo album for further enjoyment.
I try to NOT multi-task when there is something special happening so I can really enjoy the moment. Multi-tasking is fine for household chores and mindless activities. But not for times spent with people and many other things. I am trying to learn to STOP and smell the flowers.
How about you? Do you find your world so fast paced it speeds by in a blur? Have you found ways to savor the special moments? I’d love to hear what others do to make those moments more memorable.