CATCH THE MOMENT AND MAKE IT COUNT. My joy is overflowing. #joy #mindfulness #makeitcount

Deepak Chopra is quoted in saying that, ‘The key to joy is to be able to carry it with us’ and he says this is possible ‘even when life is not going exactly as we wish.’ I know that when I can be present and look deep into the beauty of the moment an intense sensation of joy arises. When this becomes a habit my first thought when I wake up isn’t, ‘What do I need to do today? Is there anything to worry about? Is everything Ok?’ (Which if we are honest with ourselves, these can be the immediate questions some days)   Instead, when the present moment is the priority focus, I look out across the paddocks and cant get over how lovely the day is. Problems are not overwhelming from this angle. I feel stronger and can see how I can contribute to my environment in a really productive way. This is what it feels like to be living in an empowered way rather than as a victim who ‘just can’t stop seeing one issue after the next coming along.’

I feel like I am living from the inside out. That probably doesn’t make sense so I will try to explain. When our youngest daughter thought she could swim like her sisters she took off her floatie and jumped into the pool. I didn’t notice straight away and she quickly became unconscious and nearly drowned. This was a traumatic experience for the whole family and our friends, who witnessed our little 2 year old struggling to breathe as she remained in a semi conscious state until we met the ambulance.  This happened 11 years ago.

That day was pivotal for me, life changing. Every step the girls take is still precious to me and I am grateful for all the ordinary things they can do. Its like I woke up that day and could see what really mattered. The problem was, my nervous system was on high alert and I would even wake in the middle of the night thinking there was danger. It took a lot of control to not become a person who worries about safety all the time, as thoughts would arise, ‘What haven’t I thought of? How can I make this environment completely safe.’ The fact was I couldn’t. I wanted the girls to climb trees, ride horses, help on the farm, and learn to drive. My solution was to understand my own nervous system because it was doing its own thing, no matter how positive I was trying to be.

This is probably why I ended up signing up for the Dru Meditation Diploma. It is a 3 year course and one of the most thorough available in Australia. To my amazement it was the basic deep relaxation techniques that had me sleeping well again and moving into the mindfulness that I knew was possible. I could step into the present moment, with all the gratitude, wonder, appreciation and amazement that was growing in me, free from fear and the upside down thinking that occurs when we get lost in what really doesn’t matter.

So these days I take each day as it comes and know that when the joy of the present moment is on my side I ask, ‘What can I do to make today great for others?’ not ‘What is this day doing for me?’ Life is not easy at times, the people we interact with don’t always behave in ways we understand and we can admit to ourselves that personal perfection seems way off in the distance some days. The point I am trying to make is, stop and really have a deeper look. Sense with ‘wonder’ how it feels be alive and take in this beautiful day.

On the days when I cant help but ask is, ‘What’s in it for me?’ I hope I can see a sunrise like today. A ball of light is rising out of a misty morning, white cockatoos call together while lifting into flight, the green grass is glistening, my girls are starting to wake and we can all have breakfast together. There will be eggs and toast, tea and conversation, tv and newspapers, a mess and then a clean bench. Howard will come and go and it will all be blissfully ordinary and my joy is overflowing.

CATCH THE MOMENT AND MAKE IT COUNT!!!