Today I caught a glimpse of grace in the flash of a moment while standing in line at a store. I was thinking of nothing but waiting for my turn, my thoughts flowing aimlessly, unimportant details wandering about in my head. Florescent lights flickering, people busy all around. Suddenly and quite clearly, from out of nowhere it seemed, my entire being filled with a deep recognition of truth.
"This exact moment will never come again."
The normalcy of life going on around, totally unremarkable to inspire such a momentous thought is what struck me so vividly at first. No magical sunsets, no looking into the eyes of my children, no miraculous happenings, nothing but myself in a store. Almost like being in a black and white dream, abruptly awakened to a world of brilliant vivid color. This, I thought, is my life right now. My minutes are slipping by and I am not even paying attention. Time keeps moving, whether I am doing something meaningful or not. In my heartbeat I could feel my life slow down to that one exact moment, and it was beautiful.
"Life is not a dress rehearsal," my mind immediately thought of this saying. How true it felt. Being in the Now, Living in the Moment...all these things were going through my head. This epiphany I had was so much more then my not dwelling in the past, or focusing on the future. It was about the offering of time we all take for granted. How many ways can we choose to waste this precious gift. How often do we grumble and groan, check out of our hearts and heads, letting the hands of each hour drift by without knowing or caring of their passing. Too numerous I am sure. Many of us are forcefully awakened in moments of crisis or threat. Measuring time in this way is usually not our choice. Wouldn't it be wonderful to walk hand in hand, really knowing the friendship of each flickering instance in our every day lives.
Before I knew it, I found myself back in my car on my way to the rollerskating rink, listening to the chatter of five happy children. I put aside quickly my realization in the madness of their chaos, but throughout the day I found my thoughts drifting back to that one divine moment. I won't let myself forget and slip back into my unconscious wastefulness. Life is a blessing, not to be measured by our lack of time, but by the very sacredness of each and every breath we are given.
One of my favorite groups, The Rolling Stones had it right when they sang,
"Time, is on my side, Yes it is,"
If only we would slow down enough to realize.
In Peace and Awareness
May you Walk in Beauty My Friends
~ Raven ~
