Living In The Present Moment: Thoughts From Tricia Reilly Koch

I was with a wonderful friend recently who was explaining how he has noticed that while he is “doing something he loves”, he still “wishes” for something else. I interrupted him and said, YES, I GET IT. How many times have you been doing something or experiencing something and then started to take pictures, or text a friend to tell them, or even start planning the NEXT time you come back to that place or situation??? I do it all the time. Most recently, I was with my children, having such a great time enjoying the beautiful day, but wishing some how other loved ones could be with us. Or conversely, counting the minutes until the situation ends. . .and wishing for it to be over. This year Jon Kabat-Zinn joined us at our annual AOHC in October at Georgetown University. He reminded all of us that living in the present moment is our choice and that it is possible to experience our life, moment by moment. And with this way of living comes a freedom and a true ability to love – to love ourselves. But it takes practice. He talked about how we are not our thoughts and that often times we live our life from the story that we tell ourselves. He reminded us that what is in the way of our life is the way. This is our life, right here, right now. How do you choose to live it? When you begin to think about it, you start to realize that the only control we have is how we choose to react to situations. And the “reactions” become our life. It is that simple.

If you missed the 2016 AOHC and would like to see Jon Kabat-Zinn's talk, you can purchase the video for $9.95 on our store website www.gumroad.com/bbrconsulting.