The Painful World

Every spring I go at least once to the desert here in Southern California. There I take pictures of blossoms that seem particularly beautiful because they contrast to the plant that produces them. I relish being there and feeling a part of this landscape. When I return home, I can again enjoy the green plants in my yard.

But there are people who find it difficult to appreciate, let alone enjoy, being where they are. Their minds are on something else. Perhaps they are thinking of places they plan to go where their surroundings will be green and lush. Or their minds are on the past and other places they have been. Instead of taking pleasure in what is right in front of them (such as looking at a prickly plant with an exquisite flower), they are thinking about some place or something else. Yet when they get to the next place, they won't be completely there, either, because they'll be worrying about something or thinking about the where they will be going next, and the worries and places after that.

When we're in this mode of "don't be here now," we are not likely to feel very spiritual, for spirituality requires us to be aware of ourselves in a moment in time and to be present to that place and time. We're also not likely to have the sense of well-being we claim we want.

Yet being able to follow your religious beliefs and/or develop spiritual awareness almost always means that you need to thoroughly experiencing what you are doing when you are doing it and wherever that may be. Of course, I'm not always able to do it. I can get caught in the details of my activities and to-do lists. Nevertheless, it's a goal well worth shooting for. Life doesn't always present us with easy, carefree days. Sometimes we have to deal with some pretty prickly circumstances. Yet even there we may find beauty and our hearts can open to an appreciation of the wonderful complexity of the universe.

Learning how to "be here now" and simply living in the moment is only a part of deeper spiritual awareness, but it is certainly a major first step. When combined with times when you deliberately step away from the busyness of daily living and concentrate on being aware of the moment, as in meditation, this technique can help you discover many opportunities for spiritual awareness in daily life.

In order to learn how to more easily be here now, I recommend you practice the following brief exercise. Read it through once to see what it's all about and, as you read it again, actually do it. And for real effectiveness, then close your eyes and do it once more.

Be Here Now

As you begin this exercise, I invite you to take a deep breath . . . and, as you slowly exhale, let go of what happened just a moment ago, right before you took a deep breath. Just be here now, in this moment. . . . And now, take another deep breath and, as you slowly exhale, let go of what you plan to do when you are through with this brief exercise. Simply be here now, in this moment. . . .

As you return to your normal breathing pattern, let each "in" breath be a reminder to be here now, doing this exercise . . . and let each "out" breath be a letting go of whatever you are holding onto in the past or whatever you are worried about in the future. . . . Take several moments to just be aware of the present moment. . . .

To help you let go of the past and the future even more completely, you may want to use your breath to remind you to be aware of the present. You can do this by realizing that no matter how hard you try, you cannot take a breath right now (no matter how full you fill your lungs) that you can use five minutes from now. Similarly, you could not have taken a breath five minutes ago to use right now. Each breath can only be used for one moment in time. And so, allow your breath to remind you to be here now. . . .

And now, in this moment, feel your back resting on your chair and notice what that is like. . . . Continuing to focus awareness on your body, notice your feet and how they feel in your shoes or, if you aren't wearing shoes, how they feel when you wiggle your toes. . . . Now turn your attention to your hands and what they are doing. Are they resting on your lap or on the furniture or do you have a hand on the keyboard or on the mouse?. . . How does your chest feel right now? . . . How does your stomach feel? . . . Right now, at this moment, allow yourself to be as fully aware of your body's sensations as you can. . . .

When you are through, notice that you can continue to be here now, in this moment, letting go of past and future, willing to experience this moment in time which has never been before and will never be again. In other words, BE HERE NOW because you don't have any other "now."