Savoring the Little Moments

Stress. Lately it seems I can't hide from it. The economy ... so many people suffering ... our children ... surgery ... church and school ... homework ... looking for a house ...

I'm trying to figure out how to keep from exploding in the coming year. The thought that keeps occurring to me is that I need to enjoy daily the small, pleasurable moments of my life.

I'm reminded of a book I read a few years ago by Anna Quindlen, "A Short Guide to a Happy Life." She talks about witnessing family members die and how it has given her a greater appreciation for life. I watched my own mother die fairly young and realize life is short, but it is still so difficult for me to simply slow down and enjoy. Here are a few quotes from her book:

"The lights came on ... I was never again going to be able to see life as anything except a great gift. It's ironic that we forget so often how wonderful life really is."

"It is so easy to waste our lives: our days, our hours, our minutes ... It is so easy to exist instead of live. Unless you know there is a clock ticking. So many of us changed our lives when we heard a biological clock and decided to have kids. But that sound is a murmur compared to the tolling of mortality."

"Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze over the dunes, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over a pond and a stand of pines. Get a life in which you pay attention to the baby as she scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a Cheerio with her thumb and first finger. Turn off your cell phone. Turn off your regular phone, for that matter. Keep still. Be present."

" ... think of life as a terminal illness, because, if you do, you will live it with joy and passion, as it ought to be lived."

May we all live "The Good Life" in our small moments.