Using Gratitude to embrace today

"There's always tomorrow..."
"I didn't get to today, but hopefully I can tomorrow."

I've repeated those phrases many times. Thinking of them as an outlet for a better time ahead. Or an excuse for not doing what I truly wanted in the day.

As common as those phrases are, they really don't have much meaning. The future is only as important as the value we place on the present. Allowing my mindset to shift from a 'tomorrow will be better' focus into a 'today truly matters' approach, I begin to realize and embrace living in the NOW.

One morning our one year old woke up early. And wanted nothing more than to snuggle. I was presented with a tender moment to cherish with a typically wiggly/curious one year old. Did I sit and hope for what I could do instead? Or did I live in the moment?

I savored it. Her smell. Her soft skin. Her relaxed small body that will never be as young tomorrow as she is today. That's a moment I'm grateful to remember.

As I sat, I realized how many moments and "small gifts" can be so easily missed if our mind isn't where today is. Waiting for what isn't instead of living in what is now.

I've missed many opportunities. But that's okay. Because the intent is there to search for those gifts and tender mercies from the Lord that remind me of what matters most. Listening to the inner voice of hope, love and positivity. And letting go of fear, doubt and failure.

Today is where I can create change. Today is where I can create new habits. Today is where I can look with love. Today is where I can invest in myself. Action today matters more than a future plan.

MINDFUL MOMENT:  How does embracing the present happen? I'll be the first to admit it's an ongoing process. Feels like more of a learned skill than a natural action. But shifting the mindset to a feeling of gratitude is a tool I often use. When the actual moment is different from the expectation, I recognize one feeling of gratitude for the reality of the moment.  Often, it shifts my mindset back into the NOW.