…and the living is easy.

Summer time! I didn’t see any high cotton this morning on my trip to the lake but the fish were certainly jumping.

The sad thing is, when fish come to the surface of the water, it’s usually because there’s not enough oxygen deep down. So, as mesmerising as it was to watch this fish today, I suspected that it might be in some distress and finding it hard to breathe. I’m no expert on fish but, from its size (at least 45 cm long), shape and long dorsal fin, I think this was a carp but don’t hold me to it. It was wonderful to sit and just watch it meandering its way around the lake and I sent it Reiki, along with everyone else on my list, just to be on the safe side.

The last few weeks have been bonkersly busy for me. (I know that’s not a word and the Rt Hon. Member Esq. will be going apoplectic if he ever reads this – which is highly unlikely, so let’s not waste any more energy.) It’s been full of wonderful moments with family, friends, love and laughter – which I relish – but it’s refreshing to have a few moments to myself and just be. Not doing anything: simply being.

For many people, including me, it’s extremely difficult to switch off from doing things. And while we’re busy doing: the cooking, shopping, working, going to the gym, changing nappies, decorating, planning Christmas (Aaagh! The C word in July!) and the rest of the things that we do to oil the wheels of modern life, what happens to us? We get so caught up in what we believe needs to be done for the future and what was missed/forgotten/done wrongly in the past, that we lose sight of the present.

In Buddhism, there is a saying: the past is over and done with; the future is yet unknown but the present is a gift. I might have paraphrased that a bit but you get the gist. Every single second that we are present in the moment is a blessing. Because it means that, if our minds are focused on the now, then they can’t also be worried about what might happen tomorrow, or next week, or even in an hour’s time. And it can’t be running through an endless list of things-past that shouldn’t have happened or should have been different. Living in the now is a very powerful place to be. It eliminates anxiety and resentment. And who doesn’t want that?

Because as long as we’re being in this very instant, and then this very instant, and then this very instant, the living really is easy – just as Gershwin suggested.

Try it, only for a minute at first and then extend the time. Simply sit and switch off your inner dialogue: focus on your breath, or the sounds around you, or a flower. Your chattering mind will, inevitably, chip in with a couple of judgements: you shouldn’t be wasting time or that flower’s not a flower: it’s a weed – the human mind has a list of criticisms as long as the Amazon. But thank it for its input and draw your attention back to the present moment.

Try it when things are getting tricky. When the person in the queue behind you rams their trolley into your ankle, or the bus driver closes the door on you and it’s raining, or your child/spouse/friend spills a litre of milk on the clean floor. Take a minute to flip the off-switch and just behold what’s happening right in that moment. Be with the painful ankle. Feel the rain on your skin. Observe the shape of the liquid as it spreads across the tiles. See if it makes a difference to how you handle difficult situations. And, if it doesn’t, try again next time. Our lives are an endless lesson and if we don’t learn things the first time, just keep practising.

I’m going to leave you with an image of storm clouds from last week as a reminder that nothing lasts forever: not the hot weather, not the storm, not the pain in your Achilles tendon where the shopping trolley hit you and not the milk on the floor – not if you’ve got a pet anyway.

Enjoy being in the moment!