Article 4, 2006

INSPIRITRIX.COM

Article 4, 2006

BE HERE NOW

“That perfect silence is where the lips and heart are still, and we no longer entertain our own imperfect thoughts and vain opinions…But God alone speaks in us, and we wait in singleness of heart.”
—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

It was a foggy morning when I stopped, for the third time in as many months, to admire a particular stretch of Central California beach where sections of the cliffs had eroded away from the shoreline and ocean waves and wind had carved interesting caves and tunnels into those island-like chunks of rock that now jutted up from the water near the shore. I stood at the top of the stairway that lead down to the beach and thought, again for the third time, “It’s so beautiful here, but I really don’t have time to go down there and explore right now. I’ll do it another time.” This time, however, something inside me shouted, “You have at least 15 minutes, so take your coffee and drink it down there. Now!”

I obeyed that authoritative inner knowing, and started down the stairs. At the first landing, I was eye level with a seagull perched upon the edge of the cliff. My eyes darted to the wall of fog in the background and returned to the nearby tufts of green sea grass billowing in the slight breeze, and I just stood there for a moment, taking in that perfect picture. At the second landing, I looked down to see the pleasant contrast of random patches of thick, dark seaweed floating lazily in the clear aquamarine water.

After I continued down the long stairway and onto the sand, I realized that I had the entire beach to myself, except for the multitude of pelicans and seagulls, that is. I walked a short way, surprised and delighted by the thousands of colorful pebbles dotting the beach, and watched the waves gently wash over flat, algae-covered rocks. I came to a big white rock slanting up from the sand and sat down to drink my coffee. That is when the guilt hit—that ego-driven, nasty voice that grills away with, “You haven’t done any work today and you’re sitting on the beach?” and “Who do you think you are to give yourself this time to look around when you haven’t done the ten things you need to do? You haven’t earned this break.”

I couldn’t believe it. I thought I was so attuned to the importance of living a balanced life but, apparently, the ego knows when it is losing its power so it never rests and is always looking for an opportunity to keep its hold on one’s psyche. The battle was on. I immediately let my higher mind take over and it countered silently with, “This earth is God’s creation and I am on this earth. Therefore, all of it is mine to enjoy without having to do anything to earn it. I deserve to partake of God’s creation whenever I choose, and I choose to partake of it now, so get over yourself.”

Honoring my need for a little time in nature above sacrificing for my to-do list brought me peace. In fact, I spent a good hour exploring the rest of the beach, peering in caves and picking out a heart-shaped pebble to keep as a memento of my time there. Because I honored that urge to “be here now,” I felt refreshed and was better able to tackle my duties. Work is never ending. There will always be things waiting to be done, but there may not always be the perfect foggy morning on a breathtakingly beautiful beach. We don’t have to do anything to earn it. It is ours right now.

“Present-moment living, getting in touch with your 'now,' is at the heart of effective living. When you think about it, there really is no other moment you can live. Now is all there is, and the future is just another present moment to live when it arrives. One thing is certain, you cannot live it until it does appear.”
—Dr. Wayne Dyer

© Copyright 2006 by Robin Wilder. All rights reserved. Please honor this copyright. While this publication is intended for mass distribution, it's not to be altered in any way. You may copy it for your personal use or forward it to people whom you feel may benefit from receiving it, or you may post it to any newsgroups or forums, provided you copy or post it in the same form as it was originally published and the signature and copyright information are included in full. Editors and publishers are free to reprint this article as long as previous written notice is given (email is acceptable) and it is reprinted in its entirety with the signature and copyright information included in full. If you have any questions or comments, please send us an email or visit www.inspiritrix.com for additional contact information.

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