It's the Simple Things
I remind myself each day that I will not escape death, and I don't know when I will die, so how will I live today? For me, living today means being in each moment, not racing after the next shiny object. While living in the moment is a simple idea, it is a challenge to do. It means that I have to shift my focus.
Time slows down when I focus on the simple things - deep breaths in and out, the wooden back steps warm from the early morning sun, clouds blown across the sky by a brisk Wyoming wind, fuzzy white cottonwood ballerinas pirouetting in a drunken dance and falling like snow onto the grass, the faint fragrance of dogwood blossoms.
Los Angeles is quickly becoming a memory of a life fueled by caffeine, exhaust fumes, and deadlines. A life bordered by cookie-cutter homes with manicured lawns and a Starbucks on every corner. I was compressed - almost flattened - by endless rivers of cars rushing to go nowhere, buildings and billboards blocking the sun. All the meditation and yoga couldn't completely slow down the rush to keep up with traffic, schedules, and chores.
But Los Angeles allowed me to move to Wyoming and savor the simple things. And those simple things multiply as I settle into a different life.
What are your simple things?
