Day 44: July 15, 2012 ~ "I'd Rather Be Here Now"

Day 44: July 15, 2012 ~ "I'd Rather Be Here Now"

"Let's trade in all our judging for appreciating. Let's lay down our righteousness

and just be together."

~Ram Dass

So, this is inspired by two events that I experienced this week. The first one: A couple of days ago I saw a license plate frame that caught my eye...you know, those frames that say, "I'd Rather Be In Lake Tahoe"...or "I'd Rather Be On Vacation"...or "I'd Rather Be Fishing"...or Golfing, or whatever. Well, this one said, "I'd Rather Be Here Now." YES!

It got me thinking: how much time do we spend thinking about what we'd rather be doing, feeling like we are missing out on something by tending to the details of our daily lives--our work, our families, our relationships. We prefer to live in the hope of better days ahead. We'll be happy when we go on vacation; we'll be happy when we retire; we'll be happy when we're someplace other than where we are right here right now. Or we live in the past, retelling the same old stories over and over again, keeping ourselves and others stuck in relationship dynamics that are very old and very tired. When are we ever Here Now?

Here Now is where miracles happen--where relationship dynamics can be allowed to change, where the past may be transformed and made new by creating a new story...where we allow ourselves and others to be who they (we) are and to show up in a new way.

Which brings me to the second event. More of a miracle, really. Without going into too much detail about family dynamics, I'll just say that today transformation took place and the old family dynamics dissolved; a new day dawned. My two siblings and I got together for a meeting to talk about an urgent family matter. In the past this would not, to put it mildly, have been a really good idea. Yet all that could be felt in the room this afternoon was compassion, understanding, kindness and support, and what emerged was a clear path of action for us to take in solidarity.

Again, without elaborating, this is definitely a new thing for us. It is a reflection of the healing, growth and transformation that has been working within each of us, and a willingness to let go of the past and to BE HERE NOW. Today I am grateful for the gifts of living in the present moment, where miracles abound.