Here I am right here now, I’m YOU by Lisa Thomas!

How precious is life?

As Thanksgiving approaches, it brings to mind all of the wonderful things we have to be thankful for. I wrote this small piece some time ago about simply watching a few little birds run from the waves while enjoying the presence of my best friend.

The moment caused a shift in my thinking and my capacity to write. I thought it befitting for thanksgiving as we all become intentionally present to the little things to be thankful and grateful for. There’s a verse in the poem I wrote "I’m The One" that reads:

"Here I am right here now, I’m YOU"…If you read the words, it says, "here I am …..right here…NOW….." That line implies, you’ve always known and you’ve always had what you need…as I like to say it, "the power lives within you and it’s always been there."

It also implies that all there is, is this moment — this moment, the moment you’re currently living in right this second, as you read these words.

That moment really is all we have. The questions is, what will you do with it? We’re often caught up in yesterday, or the future. How many of us live in what "just" happened, or happened last year or what’s about to happen in the next few minutes? We’re literally living in a past moment or one we think could happen, rather than living in the moment of right now. There’s quite a bit of power living in the space of right now.

Let’s take a look.

My best friend, Antionette and I were on our way out for a long stroll together, so we could have a moment of girl time. We simply wanted to escape our responsibilities and just be in the presence of each other and ourselves. She and her fiance had invited me to their home at the beach to do some writing in solitude.

As we walked down the stairs, there seemed to be a space of calmness in the air, and I was excited about taking a long walk on the beach. Just as we reached the bottom of the stairs and opened the door to the walkway towards the beach, we both noticed a flock of ducks walking around the lake. One of the duck’s legs had been injured. He walked very slowly dragging the injured leg.

Antionette said, "I wonder what happened to this little guy. We’ll probably have to bury him soon."

We carried on with our walk and talked about how fortunate we are to have such a strong relationship, how much we thank God for each other and the many blessings he continues to shower over us. Wow, we wondered do all best friends enjoy each other’s company as much as we do?

We noticed the fish jumping out of the water, and saw all the little things that would usually go unnoticed. Nature is such a breathtaking experience if you’re simply conscious of it. As we made it to the beach, we pulled out our chairs, opened up the picnic basket and sat there watching the ocean.

As I opened my journal, Antionette and I were both amazed by the beauty of the waves rushing up against each other.Then, we saw ten little birds at the edge of the water. I noticed that each time the water rushed out from the ocean, the birds would always manage to escape the water covering them, or even touching their little feet. The waves came but could never catch them.They’d run so fast that no matter how far they walked into the shore line, they’d manage to outsmart the wave. We both looked on in awe of the bird’s intuitiveness to be able to out run the water. Soon the birds flew away because that last wave was just too big!

Whoaaaaa.

Ever notice the wonder of life? Something as simple as the birds running from the waves, or simply chirping, the sound of the wind, the beauty of the water, the noises of the leaves running across the land? Or the sweet sound of your best friend’s voice?

When you’re literally "in the moment" AND "only" living in the moment of life, there’s so much more to it than we normally see. It could be said, that you are one with your spirit. You’re literally in the moment and that moment is all there is.

Before we took the walk, I’d been having writer’s block, wondering what to write about, hoping for a revelation to put on paper. I noticed that the times I’d been blocked, I wasn’t one with my spirit, or in the moment of life. Mostly, I’d sit and wonder what I should write. Being one with my spirit, the present moment of life helped me focus on things happening only in the moment, rather than what had happened or was going to happen. Being focused created creativity. Life seems so much easier when I allow myself to be present to life.

Life isn’t meant to be hard, but rather effortless, just as grass is suppose to grow and rivers are suppose to flow. In fact, for me when my vision and purpose for life are in full bloom, life is easy. Each moment is preparation for the next, and all there is, is this moment. By living in that place of "Here I AM, right HERE, NOW" gave me a clear, clean slate from which to write.

As you venture into Thanksgiving, give yourself to the opportunity to:

1. Be still - Webster defines "be" as "to exist or live." Being requires very little effort, very little thought, because you ARE simply by virtue of being alive. Further, Webster defines "still" as "noiseless; silent, stationary and tranquil; calm." In being still, you want to calm and center yourself, focusing on being present to the moment.

2. Live in the moment - Remember life isn’t meant to be hard. It is as effortless as the grass that grows and the river that flows. Neither the grass, nor the river struggles to grow or flow. Neither will life if you "surrender" to it.

3. Give thanks - A spirit of gratitude seems to breed more of what you want. The more you appreciate what you have, the more it expands.

4. Spend your days free, living in the moment.

This Thanksgiving be grateful for every little thing, be present to every moment, and let life unfold naturally.

This not only applies to thanksgiving but throughout the year. This column comes to you by Lisa Thomas, Author, Poet and Visionary For Women.

Visit http://www.PassionforPoetry.com for a 11×17 copy of the poem, I’m the One.

To hear a recital of the poem, click on the player below:

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