Over the last several years I've been practicing to be "in the moment", to appreciate where I am now and not dwell on the past nor fret over things that may or may not come to pass. There are a number of great authors that "preach" this not so new but overlooked perspective. The books by Eckhart Tolle, such as "The Power of Now", are very insightful and really help to focus all your energies towards the moment at hand. But I will say at this time of the year and especially on Christmas Eve it's pretty hard staying in the moment. As a kid all I could think about was Christmas morning and all those gifts under the tree. I was so consumed with anticipation that getting any kind of sleep Christmas Eve was a near impossibility. Yes, one year I actually did try to wake my parents at 4:00 in the morning to open gifts. That really didn't go over too well. But as I've gotten older I find myself anticipating less and reminiscing more. I reflect on Christmas' past and all the wonderful memories they conjure up. I won't bore you with those details but suffice it to say I think we all have our own collection of Christmas memories and I'm sure we're all reflecting on them now. The silly little traditions, the unique stories of family and friends, they all fill us with a sense of longing and a wonderful reminder of what Christmas is all about. But not all of my thoughts are in the past. I am looking forward to the day I can spend Christmas with my folks, my sisters and their families. I look forward to the day when my daughters marry, have kids and once again I'll be able to see the excitement of Christmas through the eyes of grandchildren. But for now I'm in this moment, writing this blog, drinking my hazelnut coffee, with a house full of obnoxious dogs all playing on my last nerve. But I can't imagine any other place I'd rather be. Well, I wouldn't mind having the rest of my family with me. So "being in the now" I'll continue to reflect on Christmas memories and look forward to creating many more. I might have to blot out the one where we thought it would be an awesome idea to watch someone else's dog during Christmas, bringing the total number of canines in the house to five plus one cat. Where's the spiked eggnog?
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