WISDOM FROM EDUARDO

For those of you who follow this blog, you might know Eduardo. He is a member of this community from Italy. His comments on what is written here I feel often surpass even what is written! Eduardo has a brilliant ability to say in only a few lines what can take paragraphs for others to explain. His insight, thoughtfulness and love of rock-n-roll make him one of my favorite people to hear from He just came out with his own book and I cannot wait to read it.

Let us get back to today’s comment we are looking at. I want to focus on the last part of that comment. “Too much planning amounts to treating the present moment as an obstacle to endure on the road to somewhere else.” What a powerful statement. How many of us fail to be present because we are too busy being depressed about the past or worried about the future? Our mind is always preparing for ‘what is next’ while life passes us by. When we are at work, we wish we were home. When we are home, we are concerned about what has to be done when we return to the office.

I do not know who said it, but someone once said, “Work when you work and play when you play.” How simple that sounds, but how easy it is to forget. In an age of constant distraction, remaining present is nothing less than a super power. I suggest practicing this. How? By spending just five focused minutes to start out. Sit with a picture of a loved one. This works best if you have a printed picture so you do not receive a million notifications while doing so. You can always turn on the ‘do not disturb’ button on your phone, or set it to airplane mood. Now that you have the picture, spend 5 minutes pondering how wonderful this person is and all the reasons you are grateful for them. You can recall memories, how much you love their smile or their sense of humor. Just stay present and focused on that person.

You can even set a timer to alert you when the time is up. It may seem like forever at first, but you will get used to it. Then slowly lengthen the time. 10 minutes or 30! It does not always have to be staring at a photo. It can be reading a book. Looking at the beauty of nature. You will find as your ability to stay present increases, so does your appreciation for the amazing life you have.