Living for Today!

There is something to be said about living in the moment. When you get a medical diagnosis that more often than not leads to death, you really start taking stock in your life. And I am starting to realize how important it is to live for today; not yesterday or tomorrow. There's that annoying saying that all my students were using over the past year: YOLO (You Only Live Once) and while that statement is trite and annoying, it does make a significant point. Over the past year, I railed at myself for having gained 20 pounds. Right now, I'd love for that to be my only concern. I spent most of the year fighting with TFA over stupidity (theirs not mine) and got nothing out of it but aggravation. It was time that could have been better spent. Now it's time to live for the moment and to hell with the future and the past. 

Let me give you a small example of how my mindset has changed: Yesterday, I went to Tendercrop Farms, a local grower, to pick up some fresh fruits and veggies. While there, I walked by a container which had 6 freshly baked cinnamon sugar cider doughnuts. I picked them up and then put them down and then picked them up again and brought them home. Two months ago, I would have yelled at myself for buying these delicious but not terribly healthy snacks. Granted, it's healthier than Honey Dew, Krispy Kreme or Dunkin' Donuts, but it's not broccoli. Adding to that, I've already eaten 5 of the 6 doughnuts over the past 2 days. But am I yelling at myself. No, and I'll tell you why not. One, they're something that gives me pleasure and at the moment doesn't make me feel like throwing up and, two, I truly don't care if I gain weight because I ate a doughnut... or 5. See! It's as simple as that. Live for today and not tomorrow. Does it make a difference in the grand scheme of things if I leave behind a 100 pound or a 300 pound corpse? Hmmm. Nope. Okay, okay, I know that's morbid, but that's reality. Like I said, I'm not picking out a headstone (mostly because I don't plan on being buried), but I'm not going to rule my life based on things that just don't matter. Therefore, I plan to eat those potato chips, that candy bar, that dessert when I crave them. Don't worry - I'm also eating my daily requirement of fruits and veggies.

Today as I was out for my daily walk, I really started to notice the beauty of the world: the trees, the flowers, the bird, the bees. I saw plants that I had never seen before and said "hello" to everyone who walked by me. It was an amazing hour. Moving forward, I plan to keep on living for today. I will not fret about the future - a future that I might not even have. Frankly, if I see my 52nd birthday, it will be a minor miracle and I will celebrate if that day comes. I'm also going to try not to dwell on the past, something that has always been difficult for me. I have some demons that keep rearing their heads from my past, but I am determined not to let them ruin my today. 

How do you go about living in the moment? Here's an article which lists the best way to be in the here and now. Who is with me? It's time to live for today!