“Misty Evening” | Anthony Satori
“Time unused still vanishes, as if time itself is starving, and each day is swallowed whole, leaving no crumbs.”
– Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Treasure each day. Every moment of life is a gift. Whenever you can, whatever you are doing, strive to look for something to appreciate, to enjoy, to feel wonder about, to be grateful for. Our lives are enriched by the quality of our mindful attention.
“Heart-Shaped Rock” –|– Anthony Satori
The thing about walking in sand is that you simply cannot rush. Each step takes time. Each step requires attention. You can choose a destination 10, 20, or even 100 feet away, but each step will only take you incrementally closer – slowly, deliberately – and you must make each stride mindfully and with care, so as to keep your balance and to keep yourself moving in the right direction. It is an exercise in patience. It is an exercise in presence. It is an exercise in Zen.
Sometimes you may think, “I will double my effort, triple it, maybe even multiply it five-fold.” But every such increase, even the most emphatic, tends to add at most maybe 5 or 10 percent to your speed – certainly not enough to be worth the additional expenditure of energy, not to mention the attendant elevation of stress, both physical and mental. Therefore, in the end, you eventually discover that your best strategy is merely to take it slow, to expend a reasonable amount of effort with each new step, and to move forward with calm, intention, and purpose – at the pace the sand will allow.
One of the delightful benefits, of course, of walking in sand in such a mindful manner is that sometimes you see things that you might have missed otherwise. Like a rock… shaped like a heart.
“Work in Progress” –|– Anthony Satori
“Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time.”
— Winston Churchill
It is vitally important to make plans, to have goals, and to set things into place that will come to fruition at a future time. It is of real value to create a hopeful and abundant vision of the future, both distant and near, and then to strive to hold steadfastly to a course that will take you there. This is a vital skill, and it is a powerful tool for a successful life.
Even as this is being done, however, it is equally important to remember to keep returning to the present moment, and to ask yourself, “What can I do today? What is within my reach, right now, that will make my life, and the lives of those I love, better? What small step can I take, in this moment, that will take me further toward where I dream to be?”
It is crucial to keep the bigger picture in mind, every step of the way, just as it is essential to always hold your values and principles firmly in hand. One should also continually strive, however, to employ these elements to inform a fully engaged life in the present moment, and to live each day with mindfulness, gratitude and love.
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