Living in the Moment

I find so much of my time is spent either trying to manage the moment or looking to the calendar schedule for the moments to come. Along with this comes the internal dialog of "living in the moment", but feeling like a complete failure because I am constantly thinking about every moment except the present one I'm in.

If I lived in the moment what would that look and feel like? Would I really have no sense of the future? Would the past stay in the history section of my very current life?

This summer , I received the answers to all of these questions, coming in a most unexpected package, "living on a farm."

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Though we were on vacation and not managing "the farm", we quickly started participating in farming activities. "O" has discovered that along with being an animator and inventor, he wants to have a farm when he grows up.

Everyday at 7 AM, I would hear the young boy's feet running down the steps towards the horse barn. Moments later, after shoes had been hurriedly put on, the barn door would be closed with a robust slam, you know, so he could keep the flies out. 🙂

And with this, daily life on the farm had begun. There were horses to greet, a dog to throw a stick for, and a cat to be cuddled. After that, there were horse riders and their children to give a howdie to. Next on the agenda of farm living was helping with a variety of projects from putting up an electric fence and learning how to manage it so you didn't get shocked, watching hay being cut, bailed and dried, getting honey from the bees and then extracting the  honey from the comb. All of this was interspersed with viking stick fighting, better known as clash of the tree limbs, fort building in the forest, and on the occasional rainy moment, building forts out of hay bales in the hay loft.

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A peaceful din took over our lives for three short weeks. Nothing was more important than the moment and task at hand. There wasn't a "hurry up and get this done to move onto the next thing" attitude. With 22 hours of daylight, there was time for everything. A balanced, peaceful look at life. Now that I know what living in the moment looks and feels like, it is so much easier to place it into our life here in the neighborhood.

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What moment are you living in?


Comments

11 responses to “Living in the Moment”

  1. I think I’m living in the Internet moment(s). Awful, isn’t it? How it can totally suck you in and hack up your days… And that’s one of the many reasons that your summer pictures with life on the farm feel like such a bliss!

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  2. What a wonderful way to live in the moment, and I am sure that it was just an incredible experience.
    The farm house, the land, it all looks so gorgeous. Thank you for sharing this with us, it is a wonderful reminder

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  3. That is what I love so much about summer – with no appointments or classes or school hours to keep we can exist in the moment in our own little time zone – 22hrs of daylight seems like bliss, although we are doing ok in almost permanent dark (due to rain!) at the moment. How I dread the return to routine (if I allow myself to think about it) – hope like us you manage to treasure that moment for a little bit longer xxx

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  4. another wonderful post, valarie! right now i’m both fretting over the past and scarfing down chocolate before the little one (who adverse reactions to the stuff) wakes… i think that might count as past, present and future all a-jumble. gotta get to a farm!

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  5. Nadezhda Avatar
    Nadezhda

    My “present” and “future” are in a constant fight. I try not to think about future but it’s rather impossible if I want to achieve something. So there is a dilemma.
    Your vacation seems so great! It’s not a wonder that it’s brought the answers to the question of “living in the moment”.

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  6. Sounds and looks idyllic…and inspiring!

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  7. Hourses are so beautiful, I wish to have a farm one day

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  8. sounds like a dream. That house and barn are beautiful structures. I am so glad you and O had the opportunity to discover time standing still.

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  9. So so cool, Valarie!
    Nicola

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  10. this makes me appreciate our little paradise…. and concentrate on the most important…the here and now
    happy day!

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  11. Dearest Valarie, im catching up on all your previous posts and i have to comment on this one. The photos are gorgeous and that is such a beautiful farm! I could taste summer from your wonderful and very inspiring post! It makes me appreciates life out in the nature and looking forward to one day feel this peace, calm and lovely nature! Love to you!

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