Be present. I should post this expression on my mirror, my computer, my phone. In the mix of daily life, it’s easy to live in the past, the future, the panic. Leo Babauta reminds us below that multitasking is not the path to happiness.
In reading this article, I was reminded of one of my favorite quotations from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., who was, in fact, quoting his uncle Alex:
One of the things [Uncle Alex] found objectionable about human beings was that they so rarely noticed it when they were happy. He himself did his best to acknowledge it when times were sweet. We could be drinking lemonade in the shade of an apple tree in the summertime, and Uncle Alex would interrupt the conversation to say, “If this isn’t nice, what is?”
So I hope that you will do the same for the rest of your lives. When things are going sweetly and peacefully, please pause a moment, and then say out loud, “If this isn’t nice, what is?”
Join me in taking pause throughout the day to notice what life has to offer. Don’t share it on social media; don’t even share it with your actual friends. Experience life for yourself. Take pleasure in bird songs, sunsets, and children’s laughter. In doing so, we might just make life a little more bearable.
Sources:
This Moment is Enough : zen habits
If This Isn’t Nice, What Is? The Graduation Speeches by Kurt Vonnegut