Change ~ All Ways

Even though all is changing all the time. At spring the slowly changing changes quickly become apparent. The plum and cherry trees bursting with pink and white.  At first light and at night, they emanate a shy, yet perceptible fragrance that says spring is here. Yet how often do we really pause to appreciate this moment and know that this too will pass? These two are implicit, the appreciation and the knowing. This moment is not exactly like the last nor will it be like the next.  Perhaps, we are moving so fast in this world, the simple day-to-day, moment to moment changes are not top of mind.  We are often too caught up in what’s going to happen next or what happened before.

Here now, what ‘s happening in this moment? Wind chimes, the voice  of the wind,  sing a gentle lullaby. A gray squirrel forges for whatever outside in the garden. I see him, belly flat against the shingles on the asbestos garage roof, quickly skirting on his journeys. Beautiful crystal ball, rainbow fairies dance around my room as sun’s rays shine through the french doors. Inside, I bring attention to my breath. It is easy and relaxed. Belly rise; belly fall. I still get a whiff of the fragrance of this morning’s incense blended with the scent of beeswax candle. My fingers tap, tap, tapping harmoniously on the keyboard. This moment. Exactly as it is is perfect because it is exactly as it is.  Yet, so often we are distracted away from the present perfect. 

Yesterday morning, already the taste of freshly juiced orange, apple, kiwi, strawberry and ginger juice was on my lips, even before the taste.  In my haste to get from the clean up to the sip up, I knocked the glass off the counter.  I watched it shatter colours of juice and glass shards all over the floor. I lost connection with the moment and found myself looking at a mess. Now, a golden opportunity arose for me.  I could berate myself for being stupid and inattentive. I could be sad about the waste.  Instead, back in the moment, I chose simply to clean up the spill. 

From an accident, an opportunity arose, two actually. Experientially, I learned the value of being in the present moment. And, I also took the opportunity to be kind to myself about this mistake.  Not to get a angry; not to self deprecate.

This incident reminds me of the wonderful Eckhart Tolle quote, “The moment you realize you’re not present, you are.” 

As I ponder, I often reflect on how perception determines the quality and the experience of our life. For as this quote of an undeterminable source says, “We don't see things as they are, we see things as we are.” When I wake up feeling hopeful, infused with love, positive, I view and experience the world this way. 

Is there a point to this exploration? The point is a pointer to the simple idea that every thing is always changing and we always have choice about how we perceive these changes. Thus we can change our minds. We can turn sweet into sour. We can choose to come back to this moment fresh and open to what is offered. This. Here. Now.