We are all so busy. 

Trying to get to work, get to school, get to the post office.

Get home.

In this day and age, time seems to push us out the door, past our kids, past our friends – right past the world.  We miss the smiles sent our way, the beautiful bloom of a new flower in spring, the yearning look of a loved one who needs just a second.

Why? 

Nothing we do, accomplish, or succeed at is anything without a life to frame it.  Our personal picture is only half complete when those we love, the experiences we seek, the lessons we want to learn, have no place because we aren’t present in them.

We need to be present to experience life.

Be present with our selves, our children, our friends and colleagues. 

I mean really be present.  In the moment.  All five senses.  You.

The next time your child says something, stop.  Look at them.  Let them know that their presence has value – that they matter and are worth the few seconds it takes for you to slow down and be present with them…for them.

The next time you are having a conversation in business, stop.  Look at them.  Really listen to what they are sharing instead of forming your response.  You may learn something you might have otherwise missed.

The next time you find yourself sprinting to your car, out the door, or your mind is a hailstorm of information with an intensity that rivals a hurricane, stop.  Look at yourself.  The life you are creating is worth a deep breath and your awareness of all that surrounds you. 

If you are moving too fast and lost in a waterfall of thoughts, you are missing out.  You are shorting yourself and those around you… of life.  You are missing the smiles, the sun, the sound of water lapping on the shore…and for what?

The most important experience… is each and every moment.  Don’t miss even one.

My echo is this…

Slow down and be present.