Living Life to Its Fullest Part 1

December 13, 2024

​​​​​​​Living Life to Its Fullest Part 1

Welcome to this week's Daily Reflections on "Living Life to Its Fullest."

We can get so distracted by the day's concerns that we lose sight of what's going right, what's lovely, and the beautiful all around us. In other words, we tend to focus on solving immediate problems or addressing the concerns of the moment, so we forget to notice the tremendous gifts right before our eyes. It can take a shock point or another sort of wake-up call to help us remember all the things going right and all the beauty in our lives. Then in gratitude, our senses embrace it.

If we are not in a state of gratitude right now, something likely hijacked our attention for a while. Something went wrong or may go wrong; there is a physical concern, a relationship issue, or we may be melancholy—the list of things that replace wonder, awe, beauty, and gratitude is endless. Only in constant awareness of the fantastic gifts around us, are we living life to its fullest. 

How do we stay in a state of gratitude? The answer is to remain present. In being fully present, we take in the vast array of positives that being present reveals to us.  For example, as I write this reflection, I sit near a window and witness twilight setting in at the end of this bright and glorious day. Things are still. The fall color takes on a different glow and tint with the light that remains. Things are quiet. Evening is upon us. At this moment, I reflect on the day because it is ending. I am here for this closure; I embrace the day. This moment is a gift.

If I had not stopped to notice, the night would have fallen without my presence, and I would not have been there for the close of the day. I would not have lived in the liminal space that twilight affords, for only a few precious minutes. I would have been somewhere in my mind instead of right here, right now, to acknowledge the ending and the fullness of the day.

Similarly, an entire phase of our lives may come to a close without our being aware of it and without our embracing it. And even our lives as we know them may come to a close without our realizing the things that brought us to our fullness.

Spiritual practice: Open your eyes to this very moment and notice what's happening. What are you now aware of that you were unaware of until you began to notice? Where were your mind, heart, and body before you started to notice—to be present? 

Self-inquiry: Can we be present and also attend to the daily concerns and distractions? 

Dear God,

Bless all of us who desire wonder, awe, beauty, and life. Nurture us, dear God, to live in presence. Amen