Thank you Ram Dass For Reminding Us To BE HERE NOW

Several years ago, I was in Maui wrapping up my SOMEDAY book and on a call with Tevis Rose Trower. She asked if I planned to connect with Ram Dass while on-island.

I said, "This is quite a coincidence. Can you believe I just shared his quote, 'We are all just walking each other home' in my book? I would love to meet him."

She said, "Let me see what I can do."

The next day, she called me at 10:15 in the morning and said, "Ram Dass will be at Kam 1 at 10:30. If you want to meet him, go now."

I knew this was an opportunity of a lifetime so I dropped everything, grabbed my swimsuit, jumped in my car, and headed over to Kamaole 1 Beach. I had lived in Wailea for 14 years while running the Maui Writers Conference, and had spent many hours at this world-class beach with its white sand, crystal clear water and small waves.

As you may know, Ram Dass had a stroke in 1997. A team of volunteers supported him with his daily physical activities. They put on a water vest to help him stay afloat, and gave him webbed gloves so he could tread water, and helped him into the ocean.

Our small group swam out and formed a circle around him, bobbing in the gentle swells.

Ram Dass' face glowed with pure joy. He loved the water and was clearly in his element.

He threw his head back, gazed up at the sky, and chortled, "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy."

We threw our heads back, smiled at the sky, and sang back, "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy."

His eyes lit up even more. This time he called out, "Oh joy, oh joy, oh joy."

We lifted our voices to the heavens and called back, "Oh joy, oh joy, oh joy."

We were all 100% present. 100% grateful for the opportunity to spend time with this visionary who modeled that the answer to a well-lived life is to open the gift of each day.

Ram Dass said, "The quieter you become, the more you can hear."

He's so right. In our rush-rush world, it's crucial to slow down, look around, and see and hear what's waiting to be noticed, what's waiting to be appreciated.

Here are more Ram Dass insights. Feel free to select a favorite, print it and post it where it's in-sight, in mind so it serves as a daily reminder to live mindfully vs. mindlessly.

10 Quotes from Ram Dass to Remind us to BE HERE NOW

1. "The next message you need is always right where you are." - Ram Dass

2. "Don't take yourself so personally." - Ram Dass

3. "Faith is what is left when all your beliefs have been blown to hell." - Ram Dass

4. "I would like my life to be a statement of love and compassion. And where it isn't, that's where my work lies." - Ram Dass

5. "If you think you're enlightened, go spend a week with your family." - Ram Dass

6. "You can be still and still be moving. Be content in your discontent." - Ram Dass

7. "The problem is, you're too busy holding on to your unworthiness." - Ram Dass

8. "The intellect is a beautiful servant but a terrible master. It is the power tool of separateness. The intuitive, compassionate heart is the doorway to unity." - Ram Dass

9. "Ask yourself: where am I? Answer:?here. Ask yourself: what time is it? Answer:?now. Say it until you can hear it." - Ram Dass

10. We are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not. Our actions and states of mind matter, because we are so deeply interconnected with one another." - Ram Dass

Please look at that last quote. "We are all affecting the world every moment, whether we mean to or not."

He's right. Our every action and state of mind influence the people around us.

May we choose to kinder, more present, so we set up a ripple effect that positively affects us and everyone around us right here, right now.

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This is excerpted from Sam Horn's latest book SOMEDAY is Not a Day in the Week.?