The waves crashed beneath us in our air-filled blue vessel, as the Costa Rican river rushed us down stream. With not a care in the world and pure excitement, we were present, we were going with the flow, we were traveling with the current, we were living currently.
Two simple definitions of "current," provided by the Oxford dictionary are: "belonging to the present time" and "a body of water or air moving in a definite direction." Aren't they just different ways of saying go with the flow? Whether we're on a raft in the Costa Rican rain forest, in the rush of daily New York City life, stuck in Atlanta traffic, or trying to get our kids ready for school in the morning, all we want is to live in the moment.
What greater peace is there than living in the present? There is a sense of calm that descends upon us when we're consciously existing in the here and now...not thinking about what was or what will be. Our circumstances don't have to be perfect, but still, what a joy it is when we are fully aware of ourselves, as we are, in that moment. We're detached from the past, which is now out of our hands, and we're detached from the future, which has not yet graced us with its presence. We simply are. Have you felt that? What did it feel like? We can recreate it and live it everyday.
Meditation has been the key to helping so many of us live in the present, to detach ourselves not from ambition, but rather from the mistakes of our past and the worries of our future, neither of which even exist. While we seek the calmer waters below, meditation can help us live currently.
***Reminder of how to do mindfulness meditation:
Just 5 minutes a day! If you prefer, begin with a prayer or simply envision the peace you hope to feel. Sit in a chair with your feet flat on the ground, or on the floor cross-legged, and keep your spine erect, shoulders relaxed, and chin parallel to the ground. Rest your hands on your thighs with your palms facing up. Close your eyes and concentrate at the point between your eyebrows. Just passively observe your breath going in and out through your nose, without trying to control the rate. If your eyes drop, gently bring them back up. If your mind wanders, don’t worry about it, just bring your attention back to your breath.