New Lessons on Being Present in the Moment

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post about Becoming a Human Being (rather than a Human Doing). This is something that I always struggle with because I tend to do a lot of things at once and think about what's happening next.

One week ago, my husband and I experienced the incredible joy of welcoming our first child.

One piece of advice (I'm sure you can relate to this if you're a parent) that we heard many times was to enjoy each moment because it goes so fast. Many of my friends, clients, and colleagues said that they couldn't believe that their kids are already in middle school, high school, or college.

While it's great that I'm already excited for his first smile, word, and step, it's also important that I am present in each moment, noticing and enjoying the little things.

I'm going to reread a great book on this topic, called Living Like You Mean it, written by a colleague of mine, Dr. Ron Frederick, and I'm going to enjoy each moment with the baby. Each moment is clouded with a sleep-deprived fog, but I'll work to appreciate even that feeling (remind me of this at 4am!) because there's always something that makes it hard to be present in or appreciate each moment.

In what part of your life could you benefit from being completely present? This is where all of your energy and attention is on one small thing.

Thanks for reading and for your well-wishes with the baby- I really appreciate all the kind messages I've received.

Larina Kase

P.S. I hope you'll understand that my postings will be less frequent over the next couple of months. My assistant Rhonda will be posting some articles on my behalf, and I will be responding to comments.

Comments

[Darren Sproat]

Larina,
You wrote a great post to remind us not only to make the most of every moment, in the present, but to take a portion of each moment to show gratitude for the gift it truly is.

Thanks,
Darren Sproat

[Darren Sproat]

Oh, and forgive my jumping directly over the real reason I wanted to comment... congratulations on the gift of your first child. I think I have a post on my blog that you would could truly appreciate... here's the link:

http://www.darrensproat.com/2008/12/31/he-is-in-our-hearts-daddy/

It is a post that outlines a couple of the greatest moments I have been blessed with...

Thanks again for the post.

Regards,
Darren Sproat

[Angela Nielsen]

Congratulations Larina. As a mother of 4, I couldn't agree with you more - and we've even discussed this together. You really have to savor the moment, because they are gone so very fast. Enjoy this new addition - HE IS BEAUTIFUL and is lucky to have such wonderful parents!

[Rebecca McClain]

Congratulations Larina. What an adorable baby boy!