In my book, The Bad Kitty Handbook – A Journey Toward Authentic Female Sensuality, I give a list of the changes that will happen in your life when you truly own your Bad Kitty. Over the next few weeks, we’ll go over some of these in detail.
This week is “A Bad Kitty is someone who – Lives in the Moment.”
Life is a succession of moments. To live each one is to succeed. Coria Kent
Tell me if this sounds familiar: either my day is so full I seem to be running from the time I get up until the time I get to bed or, much less often, I veg in front of the TV or computer and do very little. In both of these situations, I’m far from living in the moment. Time simply passes – slowly or way too fast – without really noticing much around me.
Seems like a pretty sad way to live life. We’ve all heard that we can’t live in the past or the future, we have to live in the now. We’ve heard about “being present”, “in the moment”, “grounded” and so on. It all seems to make so much sense and yet we still can’t seem to manage to do it.
I was in a course once many years ago where we did an exercise to go out on the grounds of the workshop and simply observe what was around you. There were many of us so we were to ignore others and be with ourselves and our thoughts. For most of us, this is something we aren’t used to doing. For many it can be quite uncomfortable. For me, I was really ready to be in that frame of mind. I walked around looking at the trees, the grass, the water and doing my best to avoid other bipeds. As I sat by the lake I noticed a dead dragonfly.
When I was a child I was afraid of dragonflies. I remember one summer when I was about six they were especially prolific. One day several of them were flying around by our screen door. I was petrified to go outside because of them. When I found out they ate mosquitoes I started to warm up to them, but they still kind of freaked me out for several years afterwards.
Now I love them. As I looked at that expired dragonfly sitting as if still breathing on the surface of the water, it was like it was looking at my soul, speaking to me. The dragonfly was giving me a message from the universe that life is short. Do what you are meant to do. For him it was eating mosquitoes, for me it’s inspiring women. Being in that moment had so much power and emotion. It seems hard to believe now, years later, that a dried husk of an insect could create such a reaction, and the fact is, it did and still does.
Imagine how many things we miss by rushing headlong through our lives. By filling our plates far beyond full, we rob ourselves of the incredible experiences that occur in the moment.
The secret to living in the moment is your SENSuality. Your SENSuality is all about being in touch with your SENSES. When you are in touch with all five of your senses, you can’t help but be in the moment.
- Take some time every day to be in nature. This can be anything from a few minutes sitting on the deck in the morning or going for a long walk. Notice everything you can with all your senses.
- Be aware of the smells around you and pay attention to them. For example, when you walk into the grocery store and they’ve just made fresh bread, don’t just walk by. Stop, take a moment and breathe in the wonderful smell.
- Notice the sights around you. Really look at people and pay attention to what you see. When you’re at a stop light, take a look around and see what you can notice.
- Take your time with your food. Experience the textures, smells and taste. Wolfing things down in the car is out!
- Listen to something inspiring every day. Music, an inspirational speaker, birds, a child’s laughter. Let it sink in.
- Enjoy the feeling of things on your skin. Feel your clothes, the sun, the breeze.
- Make an effort to go through at least part of your day without a screen nearby – including your cell phone. You’ll be surprised how much you notice without these common distractions.
“As you embrace the here and now, don’t be surprised if you suddenly feel lucky – lucky to be blessed with a good mind, lucky to have friends who love you for who you are, lucky to be living in such an interesting time.” – From The Art of the Moment by Veronigue Vienne
It only takes a moment to be in the moment. It’s about being conscious to what’s around you. Get in the habit now. It’s really worth it.
You may even find your own message from the universe in an unexpected place.
Hugs, Christie