Being Present and Living in the Moment

A story:

They say the old are wise but many times the young show a wisdom that even the old can learn from.

An old sweet lady was doing her daily chores on her farm in Ireland. She pulls the weeds from her garden, checks her mail and makes her daily loaves. She’s known for her prized bread making and ability to sell it well.  She was alone though, and at times all she seems to have is her baking and no one to eat it really. Every day she becomes anxious at 2 o’clock because that is when her husband would be coming in to wash up for lunch.  Everyday her anxiety takes her about a few hours to get over. Bev, her friend calls most days and sadly the sweet old Lady as usual has very little to say and is thinking about something else. As her day ends, she walks a ritual loaf of bread to her neighbors for their evening meal. They always pay her $.75, for her service and every night they ask her to join them. Just as it is her ritual to walk the loaf down the street, it is she ritual to respectfully decline. Once back at home, she slips off her slippers, rolls her legs into bed and ends her day writing her prayers in a journal. Tonight, she is more tired than usual, but her days are always the same, to her dull but busy; too busy to not do something too busy to add something.  

The next day early in the morning before her chores, an unexpected knock came from her wood door. A young happy child was selling garden stones with inspiring quotes that he proudly made himself. Right away the old lady recognized him as one of the children of a family in her town who was struggling for food and money. Surprised by the child’s smile and her feeling of guilt the old lady bought one. She sat the garden stone down one the table next to the door. With a quick glance she read, “Be present, there’s so much joy waiting for you!” Apart from the knock on the door the old lady’s day was virtually the same. Her baking required almost no thinking anymore; she could feel it was two o’clock without looking at the clock now; no ring came today, but she didn’t have much to say anyway; a dinner invite came and went again; and the day ended with the same prayer she wrote yesterday. The next days passed her like the wind, no day more significant than the one before. 

A week after the child came to her front door, she become annoyed enough with the stone on the table, that she finally moved it; a significant moment, which she was unaware of. Perplexed by where to put it, she thoughtfully placed it at the corner edge of her garden; even though she didn’t care for the phrase, she admired the simple beauty the garden stone did hold. She glanced at the phrase once more as she put her hands on her knees to stand up, “Be present, there’s so much joy waiting for you!” This time, a deep feeling inside of her stirred up, she felt angry. She went to her baking, still hanging on to that feeling and thinking about her life and how there’s just nothing to change. Her anger was so tight on her, she missed 2’o clock for the first time in 11 years and barely heard the phone ring. “Hello?” Bev called and started with her routine question, “How is your garden looking today?” Caught up in her feelings the old lady, was silent, and then said, “Do you want to come over for some tea?” Bev happily accepted. Nervous for her visitor the old lady made a special loaf and brewed a special tea just for her guest. As the two enjoyed each other company and the tea; the old lady found her anger turning into thankfulness for another presence in her home. A side smile arose from her face, as Bev told her a witty story about she grandchild who got stuck in a mud hole. As the old lady escorted her friend to the door, she felt this warm sensation in her chest, one that she hadn’t felt in a while. The old lady finished the rest of her day the same, but ended it with a different prayer. 

The old lady woke up feeling very different, refreshed. She woke up earlier and started her chores earlier. As she approached her garden she saw the stone. Pulling weeds didn’t take a whole lot of thinking so the old lady decided to pray while she was mindlessly pulling. She asked God what it meant to be present and live in the moment. She felt her spirit telling her to walk more in love, be grateful, see good things and be adventurous. The old lady always thought herself as a loving person but had no one really to love but realized to love, to be grateful, to see good things, and to be adventurous were all choices. She felt inspired as she walked her mail into her house. She started baking and baking. She concentrated on mixing and kneading. She realized how good and practiced she was at baking bread. Before you knew it she had bake triple the amount of loaves she normally had. She knew it was 2 o’clock but kept baking in his memory. She had a beautiful idea. She took all the extra loaves and piled them into a basket. She walked the basket up to the market and was determined to sell her hot loaves. As people walked up to her the old lady found herself smiling and greeting her customers. She was enjoying the excitement that people had over her bread. It didn’t take long and the market had cleared and all her loaves had sold. She wrapped all her earnings in a napkin and took a detour on her walk home. She anonymously placed the money filled napkin into the mailbox of the family whose young child blessed her with the garden stone. That night she had no need to write her prayer, she sat up in her bed filled with a joy she couldn’t explain. God’s presence was enough for her that night. 

The very next day the old lady’s day was her normal routine but today didn’t seem dull at all. She focused on her chorus with a new perspective, she become more grateful that she was healthy enough to still care for her home. She felt purposeful caring for her home. That afternoon while she was baking she decided to make an apple pie. It was her husband’s favorite and she hadn’t made it since… Instead of worry or anxiety the old lady smiled with contentment at 2 o’clock. Bev called and for the first time the old lady was looking forward to catching up and telling her about her garden. She felt so grateful for Bev’s faithfulness to her after that conversation. That evening as she was putting the neighbor’s loaf and apple pie into the basket, she noticed a feeling of excitement in her bones. She couldn’t tell you the last time she felt that. As she took the same walk she did every night, she noticed how beautiful her neighborhood really was. All of her neighbors thoughtfully care for their gardens too and the sunset which came every night struck her, tonight. She stopped and admired until the sun fell. She breathed and she realized that she was living in the moment and being present; asking Bev over for tea, serving others, smiling at strangers, appreciating everything she did, being grateful for her gifts, spending time with God and now on her way to accepting an overdue dinner invitation. 

“Be present, there is so much joy waiting for you!”