Pause. Breathe. Live.

Today as I stepped into the office, I paused, for a moment, to take in the scene.

There were clear skies lined with shades of light blue and white, a tall white pillar holding up the balcony in the building, pale blue walls, grey doors, a marbled brown stair railing, and a confusing painting right next to my office door.

I took them all in…

Were these things new? Nope

Was I seeing them for the first time? Nope

So what was different?

My intentionality!

I recently read the story of?Warren Zevon, an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician who died in 2003 after he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Eleven months before he died, shortly after learning of his diagnosis, he was interviewed by?David Letterman on the late-night?show about how he felt knowing fully well that he was dying.

He talked about a lot of things and they all centred on one thing-Mindfulness.?Learning to live in the now and enjoy every passing minute.

While this might sound like the cliché of a dying man, one thing I can say is that in his final days, Warren had no look of regret, melancholy or fear of his vanishing mortality.

Here are a few lines from his interview with David.

• I am working harder and putting more value on every minute I live
• I chose a certain path and lived a certain way.
• You make choices and you have to live with the consequences because there are always consequences….

These words were indicative of a man who had come to terms with his reality.

The bulk of his conversation with Letterman was filled with lots of humour,?yet it was able to help many people have a bigger appreciation for life and things we still get to enjoy.?( I mean, he talked about how much he now appreciates a sandwich)

Sometimes it takes almost or actually losing the one thing we have taken for granted to have a change of perspective and see things differently.

I know this because I was once in a car crash that claimed two lives on the spot. That was the watershed moment that helped me realign my priorities. (but then again, you would agree that I got lucky. Two other people did not get that chance)

There’s no hard and fast rule to living in the present besides learning to let go of the worry of the past and the anxiety of the future. Now is all we have.

• The friends that laugh at your silly jokes.
• The child who makes a mess and invites you to be a part of it
• The comfort of your bed and a place to call home at the end of a long day
• The soothing effect of the breeze on your skin after a heavy downpour

These are the little things that make up our lives, and these are the things we must learn to savour while we can.

Unfortunately, we live most of our lives as if our time here is unlimited. It’s a mindset that keeps us focused on everything except where we are. It cheapens many of the simple moments that should make us feel alive.

I hope that as you go through the day, you would consciously count your blessings, say a prayer of thanksgiving for where you are now, and live outside your fears, worries and anxiety.

In three simple words: Pause. Breathe. Live.

Something to ponder on:

“If you're always racing to the next moment, what happens to the one you're in? Slow down and enjoy the moment you're in and live your life to the fullest.”

―?Nanette Mathews

“Life is a dance. Mindfulness is witnessing that dance.”

―?Amit Ray,?Mindfulness Living in the Moment - Living in the Breath

p.s: Here’s?an 8 min video of Warren Zevon’s last interview with David Letterman. At this point, he had three(3) months to live.

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