Being Present Every Moment
I’ve been thinking about our fast-paced, contemporary lives and am wondering if anyone has the time to enjoy the richness that simple pleasures can bring. My schedule has me traveling quite a bit lately, so I’ve had “forced” thinking time while I soar through the air in a tin tube with wings.
Sitting like a sardine on a plane, tens of thousands of feet above the earth can really give you an opportunity to pause and reflect. Looking out the window at the white wisps and patterned landscape I really had the sense that my life had become overly complicated -much because of my own doing. I’m sure if you are like me, you’ll fill up your day, week or year doing good things, fun things, and exciting things. My problem is that I’m involved doing so many things that I forget to remember what I’ve already done or I forget what really brings my joy. For me, it takes a spirited effort to focus on slowing down to enjoy what I’m doing and what I’ve already done. There should be no real need to speed off onto the next thing without fully comprehending what has just been finished.
My daughter taught me this point so well the other day through a drawing that she made for me. It was very similar to a drawing she had made for me the week before, and that drawing was nearly the same as ones she had previously made for me. I asked her to tell me why she enjoyed making those specific pictures and she told me that she “liked the trees and the clouds and the grass.” They were her “favorite things.” Her words have stuck with me. Not because they were revolutionary, but because they were simple. Her honesty shed light on the importance of being present and enjoying the things that you’ve experienced. It also showed me that reminding yourself about those things is very important.
As an artist I think it is crucial that I continually reflect on my experiences. I want to focus on having those memorable moments burned into the core of my being, so that when I recall them visually I can re-experience them emotionally as well. I think that’s a great place to create from and good place live each day. Carve out some thinking time to regain perspective on the places you’ve been, the experiences you’ve had and the things you’ve accomplished. Slow down a bit and reflect on everything that has formed you to this point in your life.
July 3rd, 2006 at 12:40 pm
Ah Squire-
You hit smack dab upon the human condition. Your reflections have taken me in a somewhat different direction, but one that keeps with the swift sameness that pervades so many of our lives.
My friend Brad lives in the Bay area where he’s a professor at a liberal arts college. He also happens to be a friend, of sorts, to Bono. As in “one man came in the name of love” Bono. Apparently they met while doing a joint mission for CAMP (Central American Mission Project) several years ago.
Brad tells a story of a sleepy afternoon in San Fran about 10 years ago when he got a phone call from Bono. The band was passing through town and in between gigs. Bono asked Brad what he was up to that evening. Brad responded “oh, not too much, I’m just going to fire up the grill and have a few friends over for a barbecue.” On the other end of the line: silence. At first Brad said it was a little awkward. Then he understood. Bono was green with envy. All he wanted to do was step off the whirlwind rockstar train and enjoy a simple pleasure or two for the evening. I can’t even remember if Bono and the guys came over. I guess that wasn’t the part of the story that left the impression on me.
I guess for me this just reinforces that having a satisfying life that makes a difference, but remains inside the margins of discovery can be a good thing. Sometimes I’m grateful to people like Bono who are forced to open up their lives to complication for the sake of providing me with great music and powerful activism which add to the simple pleasures of my existence.
Thanks Squire for putting me in touch with this.
July 5th, 2006 at 6:36 pm
Squire and J.R.,
I appreciated both of your thoughts and reflections. Taking the time to see the beauty around us always seems to be challenging, yet it can change the whole course of our emotions and direction of our lives. Taking the time to see the tragedies of life around us (as Bono has) allows us opportunities to give in meaningful and valued ways to the lives of others. Art helps us see both beauty and tragedy. I have no idea, Squire, whether or not you might ever be interested in incorporating some of the beauty and tragedies of the AIDS pandemic, but I would suspect you’d be good at it. The swiftness of life is so exaggerated by the disease and somehow we have to wake more people up to the needs it creates. Sure would love to see you lend your sensitivity and artistic gifts to enlightening others . . .
November 8th, 2006 at 11:45 pm
You are so right on about time to reflect. Excitement to be involved leads me to dive into the water, which means I am then committed to swim the distance. I need to remain on the bank’s edge more often so that I have that precious time to reflect, and to look into the eyes of the people most important to me and truly hear them speaking to me. Thanks for the reminder.