Remember to Focus on the Here-and-now, Enjoy Living in the Moment

It is the height of summer, running-through-the-sprinkler-weather, 10 p.m. sunsets, the time of year we yearn for at other times of the year when temperatures dip below zero and the sun disappears for weeks, leaving us wondering if we'll ever see it again. It is July — let's not miss it.

It is important, sometimes, to remember to focus on the here-and-now of our everyday lives. Otherwise, we are liable to get so caught up in our regular routines that we forget to appreciate the very moments we've been longing for. Unfortunately missing the moment is not uncommon, and that's a great loss.

Time flies because in our minds, without even knowing it, we are usually either ruminating about past events, or worrying about the future. Very rarely are we actually connected to this very moment. Time is frittered away in a wandering mindlessness, constantly missing the here-and-now. To make it a long summer, making each Michigan moment last, we need to learn how to stay in the present more of the time.

The way to accomplish this admittedly daunting task is to slow down our minds, which slows down our heart rate, and, in turn, stimulates the body's parasympathetic nervous system responsible for helping us calm down. This mental and physical teamwork, or mind/body connection, promotes better health, wellness and vitality.

We have to start the process of slowing down by somehow extracting ourselves from the perpetual cycle of doing, doing, doing in our daily lives and instead spend more time simply just "being." This could involve nothing more than taking a moment to notice the blue, cloudless sky when walking from the car to your office, or feeling the warm midday breeze on your face. Or letting your eyes linger for a while on the vivid display of flowers all around, some of it shockingly bright and piercing when you take the time to truly see. There are the deeply drenched pink geraniums, purple petunias, long and draping; red roses; white balls of hydrangea. "Being" involves using all of our five senses: sight, smell, touch, taste, and sound to consciously (rather than unconsciously) take in the world around us. This "paying attention on purpose," makes time seem to slow down and last longer, and life feels more fully lived.

It is important to take note of the simple things: the delicious aroma of dinner cooking on the barbecue, the soft feel of a favorite sweater warding off a chilly night, the first lick of a soft ice cream cone (chocolate-dipped), standing along Woodward Avenue with stars shining like diamonds against the black sky, knowing that at least at this very moment, all is right with the world. No matter the economy, the world can always be enriched for no cost by being in the moment.

With greater moment-by-moment awareness, and remembering to experience life through all of our senses as often as we can, we create the opportunity to discover the richness of what all Michiganders know as the magic of Michigan summer. Otherwise, it could pass by before we know it.

In a mindful way, take the time this summer, as the state's ad campaign says, to be in the moment of "pure Michigan." The salt trucks are right around the corner.

Originally published in the Royal Oak Tribune, July 25, 2010