Living in the moment sounds like a thoughtful way to live and a wonderful thing to do. When I am engaged in tasks or events that I want to be part of, I definitely want the moments to last and they seem to hold a special significance. So why is it that in so many things that I do, I simply want the time to go by?

For instance a visit to the dentist though significant, is usually unpleasant and seems to drag on an on. The payoff is clean teeth and a healthy smile but to get there I have to put up with scraping, digging, and other unpleasantness. Those are moments I just as soon forget.

Recently we had a major storm named “Nemo” that dumped large amounts of snow on Boston. Prior to the storm, I imagined how cozy it would be inside our house ( if the electricity held up) and how much I would enjoy the time with my family -none of us would be able to go anywhere once the storm really got going. In fact, our governor declared an emergency so no one could drive on the roads for a period of time.

I did savor those moments with family, watching it snow, eating great food and listening to good music. We were lucky because we had electricity, heat, food, and each other. After the storm, we went outside to shovel snow and walk through our neighborhood with a friend. We met neighbors we hadn’t met before and talked and generally had fun. I think that I learned that living in the moment is another way of saying “appreciate life now. ”

Well I did, and I do.

My friend here lives at the zoo and is doing fine too.