One moment at a time
September 22, 2012 * * * * * Posted by: Anyes 
"The butterfly counts not months but moments, and has time enough."
-Rabindranath Tagore
On this very first day of Autumn, which coincidentally my favourite season, I pause and wonder: Where did the rest of the year 2012 go? This month's unusual warm temperatures, kept me thinking we still are in Summer. Yet I have to face the truth, there is only about 100 days left till next year. How did this happen?
Life's perpetual motion in which everyday is very similar to the one before, contributes somewhat to this blurry vision I have of the last nine months. A few milestones here and there, sticking out in my memory but overall quite a blend fusion of hours and days mixed together. Quite a distressing feeling, may I tell you when one realizes that she does not remember much about how three quarter of a year just disappeared..it all seem to me as if it went in the blink of an eye.
So in a futile effort to slow down time, as if such a feat was ever possible, I was wondering about trying my best to live in the moment. Let me explain, back in Europe this past Summer I noticed that I was feeling the hours, feeling the days each and ever one of them.
Time. had. slowed. down.
Looking back, I come to think that it was slower for the simple reason that I was not living in the past or looking ahead. I was very focused on enjoying each and every moment. My senses were somewhat heightened by the beauty of every place we visited. The food we ate was simply scrumptious, and I can still remember the scents in the air. All of this contributed in my mind to three unforgettable weeks all filled with plenty of time, made of precious moments weaved together.
So here it is...
I. am. taking. it slow.
In doing so, I hope to start learning to feel each and everyday, in order to enjoy my life much more. I know it is going to be somewhat of a challenge and I embrace it wholeheartedly. Wish me luck
One a side note, it's so good to be back here with all of you on Vision and Verb. I wish you all a very beautiful first Autumn day :-)
Reader Comments (21)
I am enving your autumn as we hurtle towards another summer. Like you, I am trying hard to live in the moment and let the past and the future be. I hope that both of us are successful.
I loved your butterfly - one of the most beautiful and ephemeral creatures. Thank you.
What beautiful thoughts and sentiments about living life - one. moment. at. a. time.
And - yes - welcome back!!!
I have a feeling this is a lesson we all need to learn more than once, Anyes...and perhaps even every day? I wonder how long "Stop and smell the roses" has been around??!! :)
"Looking back, I come to think that it was slower for the simple reason that I was not living in the past or looking ahead. I was very focused on enjoying each and every moment." Good point, Anyes. A good lesson for all of us to remember. And, as Ginnie said, "Stop and smell the roses."
And, welcome back.
An insightful lesson. I'm going to try it too.
Beautiful post and the image of the butterfly is wonderful, set against those yellowed leaves. I agree with Sue, that your message of focusing on the Now is what is important. Thank you for reminding us of that this first day of Autumn.
Good luck. Time does fly when you are having fun, with life. When a youngster you wonder why the days are so long, the year takes forever to pass but when you grow up time pass so fast it's hard to believe. I like the taking each day, slowly.
one thing that i acutely feel is how time became abstract for me once i became 50, the age i am unlikely to double.
reading your post and going to your site to bathe in your moments of beauty and wonder stilled this morning for just a few marvelous moments. what a wonderful journey. thank you.
now...it is time to go to work! coffee in hand, of course.
Oh, Anyes. I'm always striving for living in the moment. This is another reason to do it. Thank you for the reminder.
I was thinking how quickly this year has flown by, and also about Einstein's relativity theory because so often time seems to be standing still. Some days it feels like the clock is actually moving backwards, and not in a good way. It is particularly in those moments that I need to follow your advice and appreciate the moment. I also need to be mindful of what I am doing and simply wishing time away until I get to a landmark. All those minutes we only have once and should be charished.
Thanks, A good reminder for me, I try to do that, but often forget. Do you also have the feeling that the first part of a vacation goes by very slowly and then the second part goes by way to fast.
Lovely picture.
It's quite an irony here - the one time in my life when I literally saw time and my life slow down, go into slow motion if you will, was the night I was in an auto accident. From the moment my car was hit until I came to rest against a concrete median, I saw everything as though it were going not at half-speed, but quarter-speed. Maybe slower. The funniest thing is my memories still retain that sense - quite amazing really.
Perhaps that's why I don't worry so much about the time that "disappears". When time simply flies by without notice, it's because I am fully engaged - in work, in writing, in life.
I often have this feeling too when I ask myself, where did the time go. The daily life with all its routines seems to eat it up... I've made a habit to write two or three sentences about each day in the evening, to keep the highlight of the day, even if it's only an especially delicious dinner that I've cooked.
I try to live in every moment, but it is not always easy. So quickly I'm caught up in the "usual" stuff.
Love your butterfly image so much! Autumn always feels like a natural time to slow down for me ~ I do wish you luck in enjoying more slow days.
Good for you and your points well noted :) - i also can't believe 2012 is heading to the end, it was only the other day i quit my job and started my own company - where has all the time gone!!!
A big thank you for all your comments and your insights, I am so happy to be with you all :-)
Yes, I find myself needing this reminder again and again. And also that with each year this feeling grows, of time spinning by more quickly.
The only thing we can do is just what you say, slow down, pay attention, fight the urge to hurry through everything.
There is only now.
I too wonder where this year has gone, each year seems to go by faster than the last. Unlike you though, this year we didn't have a summer and I feel a little cheated. Autumn however is one of my favourite times of the year.
There have been abrupt transitions from hot to cold and back again this year. Makes me wonder what this winter will be like. And yes, 2012 has been a blur. I'd like to slow down but can't figure out how. I do wish you luck and hope you'll pass on any tips you pick up.
This is what I'm so loving about my life after 30 years of crazy corporate responsibility and constantly living on a plane. I so appreciate the normal everyday type of things which really drives my passion for photography! Great post!
Wise words Anyes. Thoughts of the past and of the future can be a real drag when trying just to live the moments of each day