The Present

(our little sushi-roll baby, with Stitch in the background)

The past two weeks have been a wild rollercoaster ride, to say the least. Life has been coming at us full force, and I wonder if it will ever let up. You know how sometimes you ask the universe for a drink of water, and you get the firehose in the face? Yeah, it’s been like that. Incredible things have happened, some crazy bad, some crazy good. I’m choosing to focus on the crazy good, which is that my new baby grandson was born. Little Ayumu Cameron Ikuta-Dexter shot into our crazy world on June 1^st, our ray of hope bursting through the clouds.

When a newborn comes into the family, there is no choice but to slow down and become fully present. You become aware of every little detail; a tiny yawn, a squeak, each movement he makes, a brand new miracle. With this new blessing in our lives, I am reminded of the importance of staying in the moment.

A week ago we were stressed, hurt, fearful when our dog was attacked, which led to an awful conflict with our neighbors. If I had stayed in the present last week, I would have realized that all the suffering was due to lamenting about what had already happened, and worrying about what might happen in the future. Right in that moment, everything was actually okay. And that’s the way it always is. We spend so much energy hurting over the past, worrying about the future, that we so often miss the gifts the present moment offers.

Even on the worst days of the last few weeks, I was surrounded by miracles of love, friendship, new life, encouragement and hope. I let that carry me, and did my best to let the fear stuff go. I have all of you, my friends, to thank for keeping me afloat and not letting the bad stuff submerge me.

Today I intend to stay fully present, and enjoy my life for the gift that it is. I hope you’ll do the same. Have a beautiful Sunday, and please remember to enjoy the present.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got some baby snuggling to do….