Living in the moment

I've been living for the next moment, and not this one...in a bad way.

I attended this wonderful New Years Eve concert at Trinity Episcopal in downtown Portland, which held a standing room only crowd of about 1000. My cousin-in-law sang with the Portland Symphonic Girl Choir.

There was some great music including an award winning quartet, an erie organ piece, a cello piece played on a cello built in the 1700's!!! and the most amazing violin solo I have ever heard. I don't know how her fingers could move that fast.

I was listening to the violinist when I realized that I wasn't really enjoying the moment. I was thinking about what was coming up next, and then what I was doing later that night. Then I realized that I couldn't get this moment back ever again.

I think that maybe this is caused by our culture of media. We have everything stored on tape, CD, DVD, hard drive, iPod, or internet so that we can relive the experience.

But this experience I could not relive. It was not being recorded for me to listen to later. If I didn't enjoy this moment, I would never get to enjoy it again. So I decided to really live in that moment and take in the violinist and her amazing solo. It made quite a difference in my listening experience!

Unfortunately, the sad part is that I do this with people, with conversations. I will be talking to someone, and be thinking about what I'm doing next, not giving them my full attention. I rob them of the moment, along with myself.

So I decided to try to engage myself fully in the last few conversations, living right then, not thinking of what's next...and it too made a difference. Maybe it is because this "new" way of living is less selfish, focused on the other person.

I guess I hope that you will live in the moment, thinking of the other person, much better than I.