moment to moment

Finally spring has sprung! 

Flowers are blooming and I haven’t worn my big brown parka in a few weeks. Winter is over! No more snowy, slushy, freezing weather. And you know what that means??? It means that in a few months from now everyone will be complaining about how hot it is.

In winter we are dreaming of spring and summer; in the summer we are waiting for fall and the first snowfall. What exactly is our problem with loving the moment we are in?

We’re always looking for the next thing to satisfy, whether it’s nicer weather or a nicer home or a better paycheck. What a relief it would be if the most satisfying thing in every moment could be the moment itself, not dreaming of a different one.

Last January I took a J-term course at my college that took place in Costa Rica. Three blissful weeks in the most beautiful place I have ever been with some of the most amazing people that I have ever met. It is one of those places that you see pictures of and hear stories about, but still think It can’t possibly be quite as amazing as it sounds. But it is.

The first thing I noticed upon my arrival was how long it took to get through customs. The woman in front of me was gabbing away with the airport worker (meanwhile I was shifting my carry-on from shoulder to shoulder irritated). The next day it took us over 2 hours to get to the next town over because there was only one way to get there and that was up a windy, unpaved, mountain road. In Limon, my friends and I decided to stop for a fruit smoothie after an afternoon at the beach. We found a nice little place with a thatched roof, no walls, and sand floors and sat down at a table. Twenty minutes passed before our waitress appeared to give us our menus. Being the most obnoxious of the four, I was immediately frustrated with the lack of service. When our drinks arrived thirty minutes later I began the discussion on whether or not it was rude to not tip her. But Costa Ricans simply don’t see things that aren’t urgent as urgent. 

They enjoy life in a way that I have never quite been able to.

The idea is simple (so naturally we complicate it): There is nowhere that you need to be that is more important than right here, right now. 

Matthew 6:34 "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Psalm 118:24 "This is the day that the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it".