Moment to Moment

A single moment in time is a rare and delicate thing. It's as ephemeral as a passing thought - here and gone. Too often I wish that every moment were a beautiful one, but if I'm in pain, either physical or psychological, cherishing a fleeting moment is the last thing on my mind. Under such circumstances I'm more likely to pray that the moments pass quickly, without dwelling on how precious time is.
Boredom, however, is not to be tolerated. Better I should dwell on one good thing I have or do, even if it's as simple as breathing or walking. Fortunately, I'm able to enjoy both those things together again, without pain or discomfort, after several weeks of being robbed of the joy of walking due to an injury.
Breathing and walking aren't rare, but genuinely revelling in them isn't ordinary, either. It requires sensitivity and gratitude on a moment to moment basis. Life and time are like rivers that are constantly flowing, whether you take note or not, which is why you can never put your foot into the same river twice.
I want to spend today, the first day of December, the last month of the year, the month of the Winter Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's Eve as if I were marking the way I will spend the rest of my life. So that means I must write, to express myself in some way. I choose to spend all the moments on this first day of the rest of my life, which also happens to be on a full moon, so that it matters.
Doing nothing is not a waste of time as long as I'm fully conscious and appreciative of all the quicksilver moments, and of all the things that are happening to me, around me, and within me. I breathe, my heart beats, my blood flows, I see, I hear, and my mind moves from one thought to another. I'm making choices all the time. So much is happening every single moment. All I have to do to make those moments memorable is notice them.
Sometimes I fret that my life is ordinary. In many ways that's true, and I'm often unable to do anything to change the circumstances that make me feel that way. But I can observe, listen and think. I'm not without imagination, and as long as I'm capable of using it, I have enough. So I'd like to finish this simple little blurb on this seemingly most ordinary of days with another ancient Chinese maxim ... Enough is as good as a feast.
- G. P.