Being present through the goodies and the toughies

Today's Quote:

The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly.
Buddha

What I can offer today is from my own life experience. I've worked(and of course am still working)to learn how to truly be present to each day of my life. I wasted so many years of my life in fear and anticipation of "what if's". I can't do that anymore. I've learned how to compartmentalize the blessing boxes, and the grief/worry boxes and be in that space during each moment, but not necessarily let them bleed into the other.

For example and very personally: The shifts in my life have been spectacular and cover the gambit of high's and low's. In the past few months I have lost the love of my life (my dog who has been my child, best friend, greatest companion and everything else to me), I lost my grandmother (also extremely close to), someone extremely close to me has been diagnosed with cancer, and I've started a new job. On the other hand I have also been fortunate enough to find the absolute love of my life (in male/human form), moved into a house together and count my blessings every single day that a man that exceeds all of my prayers has come into my life. I got a call from a publishing house interested in publishing my books, I'm healthy and exquisitely happy and optimistic in these areas.

Now, where does this put me? Well, I could fall apart and wallow in it...and believe me, some days I absolutely do! But for the most part, I focus on staying present to each situation as I'm in them. I feel the feelings so that I don't have to chew on them at the other times. I'm not in a happy space feeling like I should be crying the way that I once would have done. I am attempting to be fully present and feel the abundance and joys in these blessings that I do have. And, when I feel sad and want to cry myself to sleep because I miss my baby so much it aches...well that is just what I do.

Everyone is going through something. This is life! It's how we handle the situations that life throws at us that define us and make us who we are. I choose to walk in, face up to them all, feel them and release them as they come. Today I will be hanging out in the chemo suite for the first time. All I can do is help to bring in the sunshine. Not with fake gestures, but just by simply being there in it with my dear one. Not wallowing in it either. I'm there for whatever they may need me to be. The presence in that has yet to be determined (since I'm not actually there yet)...if it was, well...that wouldn't really and truly be being present now would it?

I'll let you know tomorrow just how it went.

In the meantime, face up to your own highs and lows and don't take them with you -best you can. I wish you a lifetime of health, joy, abundance, happiness and even a little bit of heart ache...it only makes us realize and embrace the good stuff that much more.

Blessings,

Emily