Appreciate the moment

Life can be stressful. When we’re busy all the time trying to do a number of jobs at once, we can sometimes miss out on the little things around us that at other times, we would find special. We have so much

to do that our minds are already on the next task or on worries and anxieties of everyday living. We might have a quick conversation with a friend and miss the look in their eyes that says ‘I’m lonely and I need to talk.’

We might walk the same road every day yet never notice the flowers or the trees, our attention is on our thoughts: the past, the future. Not the present. We aren’t living in the moment. We miss out on the intricate beauty of a leaf or a flower, the elegance of the landscape around us, the architecture of a building even when they are in front of our eyes. By pausing for a few seconds and observing more: smell the flowers, see the beauty in a tree, feel the breeze against our face, we achieve a greater understanding of ourselves and the Universe. We ‘see’ what is beyond the obvious and we re-connect with our inner child as we experience that sense of wonder that we all had when we were young.

Just for a few moments today, pause, take a deep breath, silence your thoughts and then appreciate and express gratitude for at least three things that are around you.