As I walked through the beautiful surroundings of the National Trust Dunham Park yesterday, 

I was aware that my thoughts were taking me away from enjoying the true beauty.

Aware I wasn’t in the moment.

I noticed how much I longed to find a spot to sit down and have my picnic.

Seeing the ‘no picnic in the deer park’ signs 

was making me more in my head, distracted with my thoughts.

Wondering where this picnic area was?

And when I would get there?

I was putting my focus on the destination, i.e. reaching the picnic spot.

And was missing the journey.

A wonderful journey 

 “It’s not the destination; it’s the journey.” Ralph Waldo Emerson

How often do we do this? 

We have some goal or something we want 

And we can’t sit still or be happy until we have it

But the truth is when we get the goal or the thing, we then want something else

So it’s a perpetual journey of never being happy

Always searching for the next person, situation or thing to ‘make us happy.’ 

And as we do, we fail to see the magic and beauty right before us. 

We fail to see what we have in our lives already, which was once part of the journey.

The more we can embrace the present moment, the more peaceful we become.

And let’s face it

All we ever have is the now

Our lives are made up of one now moment after another.

“Forever – is composed of nows” – Emily Dickinson.

Yet so often, we spend those now moment worrying about the future 

About things that probably won’t happen

And even if they do, worrying won’t change it;

If anything, it just makes it worse 

Or because we can’t wait patiently for things to unfold 

we try to push things forward, so we get our goal or the thing we want quicker 

which, of course, never works 

and all it does is cause us great stress and frustration.

Or we spend our time stuck in the past

worrying about what we said or did or what we didn’t say or do

or comparing what’s happening now to what happened before 

usually in a negative way

‘Everybody’s got a past. The past doesn’t equal the future unless you live there. - Tiny Buddha

It’s complete madness when you think about it

We repeat the same thoughts over and over again

And as we do this, our lives are passing us by 

We’re missing the magic of the moment.

And I believe to live a happy and fulfilling life; we have to embrace each moment

by noticing how you feel and by being more conscious of what’s going on around you

Notice when you're caught up in your thoughts

take a few breaths.....

and focus on your breath....

then take time to observe...

take time to...

Sit quietly
Listen to music
Read a book
Smell the roses
Appreciate nature

“Magic is seeing the 'extra' in the ordinary.” ― David Cuschieri.

To appreciate the beauty of life.

Do something you love that will bring you back to the now moment.

And as you do, you'll start to notice you'll spend more time in the now

Less and less will you worry about the past or the future. 

And remember, this moment will never come again in the same way.

So to finish with the wise words of Eckhart Tolle:

“Realise deeply that the present moment is all you have. Make the NOW the primary focus of your life.”

Much love always

Rebecca x
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I teach techniques to quiet your mind by becoming aware and transforming your thoughts. Also, how to connect to your heart space to allow you to come out of the ‘busy’ness of your head into the peacefulness and loving energy of your heart. If this is something that you would like, then please get in touch with me.