Now is the Time to be Fully Present

Now is the time to be fully present. The beginners mind where everything is fresh and everything is new. Shortly after arriving here I expressed to Fuad how overwhelmed I sometimes feel when we go out of the house and it doesn't matter where we go, whether to the grocery store, the internet cafe, the mall or walking down the street I get overwhelmed because everything is so new. It's a constant intake of new data attempting to be analyzed and processed by my mind.

At the store, processing every item on the shelf (because so few products are even slightly familiar.) Processing the sounds of the language and body language, learning to negotiate the movement of traffic whether on foot or on our scooter...I've previously experienced this hyper-awareness while traveling to new places, especially the places so far outside of my realm of experience, like Guinea or Mumbai. But this feels different because in the back of my mind I keep repeating to myself "we live here now!" I have this sense of urgency to get it right. What "it" is, I'm not sure!

Then Fuad reminded me, isn't this what we strive for, as yogis? To be fully present in each moment as it unfolds. We can't "phone it in" here (to steal one of my husband's favorite phrases.) There are parts of Chicago where I could sleepwalk, like the walk from Moksha Lakeview to our apartment or the drive to and from school. You know what I'm talking about, you get somewhere but you don't really remember the details between points A & B.

Really what needs to happen is awareness, eyes wide open! An open heart & mind to the possibilities that await! And the ability to exhale & go with the flow, while fully inhabiting the moment you're in.