Today I was out walking my dog early in the morning. It is a beautiful New England Fall day. There is a slight chill in the air and the colorful leaves were falling to the ground like big pieces of confetti. My dog, Hannah (she is really my soul sister) wanted to stop and the smell flowers. She stood there sniffing different ones and was having the best time. Immediately I thought to myself, when was the last time I stopped to smell the flowers.
It made me realize how caught up we get with our electronics, our inbox or some other thing that pulls us away from our precious present moment. Time is flying by far too quickly. It seems like it was spring yesterday. Where did the summer go?
What was really startling for me was the realization that I have not been appreciating some of the small beautiful things around me each day. I have been living out of my head too much these past few months. Bless you Hannah for pulling me back to reality.
We continued our walk and I could feel my eyes tear up with gratitude for having Hannah and for the both of us being so healthy that we can be out and about enjoying the beautiful weather. This is something I have been taking for granted but I will not any more.
Sadly when I was walking around San Diego last week, I saw homeless women all over the place. It broke my heart because I couldn’t believe how many there were. I stopped and talked to several and gave them money for food. I asked them about their circumstances. Various things had happened financially that forced them to now live out of a shopping cart. They can survive there because of the mild climate. You shake your head in disbelief that women could be living like this in this day and age.
I realized how fortunate I am. I have a beautiful home, food on the table and nice clean clothes to wear.
The next time you are out walking about, pay attention to what is happening around you. Take it all in, breath in the fresh air. Do you notice some one who could use a helping hand? What do you see that makes you feel so grateful for all that you have? You will be amazed at what you have not been seeing.
Life is too short dear friend not to appreciate every minute of it. You can always get more stuff but you can’t buy more time. Make every day a special day. Oh and most important, touch someone’s heart with your loving kindness.
Faithfully,
If you like our content sign up here for updates and a free gift!
Mal Duane is a Best Selling Author and Personal Life and Recovery Coach who has overcome life challenges using the steps in the Alpha Chick Process. Her personal mission is to help women excel in all areas of their lives from business to personal relationships. Mal has been featured with Fox 25 Boston Morning Show, CBS Radio, Aspire Magazine, Healthy Living and Metrowest Daily News. She has also been a featured guest on over one hundred Blogtalk Radio shows discussing recovery and personal transformation.
Mal’s book, Alpha Chick, Five Steps for Moving from Pain to Power, is a best selling book and is available on Amazon.com.
Wow, thank you so much for sharing that this morning.. We really are so VERY BLESSED <3
Peace to you my beautiful sister in recovery <3
Katie
Hi Mal,
Thank you for your post today about becoming present and noticing what’s going on around us. I just began taking my daughter’s Pekingese for a daily walk and it’s been life changing for both of us. I cannot leave the house without her begging at the door now to walk with me. I live in a very old neighborhood with huge trees, rolling hills all wrapping around our lake. I am scheduling time to go out and experience nature and to simply be present. One day because of a lack of time, I did three short walks. It worked great. I’ve also begun to meet neighbors…that have lived here for 15 years and we have never met…specifically because of our little dogs. Big hugs…Katana
So wonderful to hear from you. It is amazing how animals get us back into the moment. They are so present.
They don’t know anything about the past or the future.
Thank you!