Friday, December 7, 2012

Habit of the Month: Being Present


New month, new habit . . . well, I struggled with whether or not I would do a new habit for this month of December. After all this month seems so full of activities, events, and things to do already; why add creating a new habit into the mix? The logic side of me reasoned: You would better be able to focus on a new habit once the new year started. What habit are you going to work on anyway? Maybe it would be better to wait. Then in the midst of sleepless nights due to a serious head cold and cough being passed around our home, surrounded by days of clamoring from my kids for activities and attention, my new habit idea was born.  


"Being present in the moment."  



I considered waiting until after the busy-ness of the holiday season to implement it, but then what better time than Christmas time to practice some being present.  So what exactly does "being present" look like?
  • stopping what I am doing when my kids what to play a game
  • sitting on the floor to enjoy the cookies we just baked with my toddler
  • sitting with my husband while he works on his latest Christmas photo project
  • enjoying listening to Christmas music while drinking my tea or coffee
  • sitting and watching the snow fall
  • kneeling next to my six year old and she tells me about her latest adventure at school
  • focusing on what is happening now, instead of being distracted by what needs to be done later in the day or tomorrow

I guess, it could all be summed up in "taking time to breathe."  Slow down, pay attention to the moment I am in, and just enjoy being present mentally in the now.