Time - Living in the Moment

Do you remember taking a bath as a child? If you do, I am sure you have many tub-time memories; however, there is a specific bath tub experience I would like you to think about. Remember what happened when bath time was over, and the plug had to be pulled? You probably waited until all the water was gone before climbing out of that tub – and in doing so witnessed the swirling of the water until it became its own little whirlpool, like a small tornado sucking the water down into the drain. And, in watching, you were probably either terrified, or fascinated, by this bath time event.




An interesting observation is that when the plug is first pulled the water doesn’t appear to be disappearing very fast at all. In fact, there still seems to be some time left to play. But, once it passes the half-way mark, that swirling little tornado of a whirlpool seems to be sucking the water out of the tub faster and faster……. hence the terror some children experience when they feel they, too, might somehow get sucked down that ominous hole! However, there are those who, instead, stand still and watch with fascination until every drop of water is gone.

Time is like that draining water in the bath tub. The water fills up around us as we grow into adulthood, and then BAM! the plug is pulled and the drain begins its work. At first, we don’t even notice it. But, about half-way through life we can’t help but perceive that time begins to swirl all around us, elusive, within yet without our grasp. We can become terrified, which sends us spinning in circles along with the whirlpool and headed quickly for the drain. We can fight it and get lost in the battle. Or, we can become fascinated by this seeming turn of events as time appears to be going faster and faster, and watch with observation every swirl as is passes by. We can even become ‘one’ with the swirl and experience its every movement.

This is what it means to ‘live in the moment’. We become ‘one’ with the events that are occurring at just that moment, as they happen. Instead of trying to fight, run or hide from the passing of time, we embrace it. We experience every minute, drinking it like a refreshing glass of cold water – smelling its unique fragrance – tasting the goodness of the gift of life – touching the lives of those who encounter it with us – and hearing the melody that only that instant can bring! When we do this, we are truly alive; more alive than we ever were in our youth. So alive we can connect with our grandchildren, and even with others, in a way that is almost unexplainable to them.

Living in the moment is so much more than just remembering to ‘stop and smell the roses’. It’s a constant choice to savor every ounce of life, whether it appears to be good or bad in our present state of awareness. As we experience life in this way, we become like a dry sponge dipped into a huge pool of revitalizing water, filling up every particle until we are completely saturated with its invigorating nature. “Ahhhhhh, to be full of life!”