Living in the Moment, I Almost Never Do

Pamunkey River Bridge Opening ©Mary Montague Sikes

Living in the moment is a hard thing to do, especially for artists and writers. That's been especially true for me during the past few weeks. I've been involved in art openings, artist workshops, setting up space in a new gallery, working in that gallery, a trip to Hilton Head Island, and much more. All the while, I've followed my passion--watching the baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. Perhaps that is a time of living in the moment.

Coming home earlier this week, we encountered something we had not seen for a few years--a bridge opening. Once the new bridges across two of the three rivers that surround our little town were completed and opened, the worrisome long delays to allow boats to pass through became a thing of the past.

Usually, I would be unhappy to have to wait in the long line for the bridge to lock back in place and traffic to resume. This time I decided to live in the moment. I got out of our car with camera in hand and took photos of the river and of the dramatic sunset I was fortunate to see.

Down the Pamunkey River ©Mary Montague Sikes

It was fun to have a quiet minute and the chance to take photographs from atop the bridge. It was nice to enjoy being where I was and not dreaming of how I would spend my time in the next few minutes or hours. I couldn't quite calm some future planning, like writing this post, but for a little while I savored where I was at a small point in time.

Do you live in the moment? Do you dwell in the past? Do you dream of the future? Are you a ponderer? How can we learn to live in the moment?

Sunset Over the River Marsh ©Mary Montague Sikes