The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly- Buddha
If I knew then what I know now I would have experienced Alzheimer's differently. Like many people, I always recognized the importance of living in the moment and that life is made up of a series of moments and that if you miss the moments you miss life. But I, like so many have struggled with exactly how to do that.
In January I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. I made it to the roof of Africa and accompanying me was an audio book by Eckhart Tolle, "The Power of Now" and an audio book on learning to meditate. I realized that I needed to learn how to live more in the moment and that perhaps a good time to absorb this would be on the mountain. As it turned out the mountain was not the time to learn a new way of "being" so it wasn't until I got back to the comforts of my home did I actually listen to the audio books.
When I did, a light bulb went on for me. I understood the "Power of Now" and that learning to live in the now was a gift that Alzheimer's was giving us. I realized that the only thing that really matters in our connections with people experiencing the disease is that we're in the moment. Living in the past causes sadness and depression and anticipating the future often results in anxiety and worry. The only real peace is in the moment.
Imagine a world where everyone who was touched by Alzheimer's disease learned to live in the moment. Eckhart Tolle and many other spiritual leaders have said that living in the moment is our primary purpose in life. Alzheimer's disease is creating that opportunity to embrace that way of being in this world and ultimately the best chance that we have of peace.
If I knew then what I know now I would have experienced Alzheimer's differently. Like many people, I always recognized the importance of living in the moment and that life is made up of a series of moments and that if you miss the moments you miss life. But I, like so many have struggled with exactly how to do that.
In January I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. I made it to the roof of Africa and accompanying me was an audio book by Eckhart Tolle, "The Power of Now" and an audio book on learning to meditate. I realized that I needed to learn how to live more in the moment and that perhaps a good time to absorb this would be on the mountain. As it turned out the mountain was not the time to learn a new way of "being" so it wasn't until I got back to the comforts of my home did I actually listen to the audio books.
When I did, a light bulb went on for me. I understood the "Power of Now" and that learning to live in the now was a gift that Alzheimer's was giving us. I realized that the only thing that really matters in our connections with people experiencing the disease is that we're in the moment. Living in the past causes sadness and depression and anticipating the future often results in anxiety and worry. The only real peace is in the moment.
Imagine a world where everyone who was touched by Alzheimer's disease learned to live in the moment. Eckhart Tolle and many other spiritual leaders have said that living in the moment is our primary purpose in life. Alzheimer's disease is creating that opportunity to embrace that way of being in this world and ultimately the best chance that we have of peace.
The next question is, how do we learn to live more in the moment? One way to practice is to begin paying attention to your thoughts. Not in a judgemental or critical way but as an interested observer. Do you spend most of your time thinking about the past or are you more focused on the future? Notice the feelings that accompany your thoughts. Do you feel sad, mad, scared or glad? How much time do you spend in the present moment?
Try to pay attention to your thoughts about Alzheimer's disease and then share what you find with the rest of us. I used to spend most of my time dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. I've been practicing, and now I find I am able to spend more time enjoying the moment, with less stress and more peace. In the coming posts, we'll explore ways to move beyond mind created stress so we can spend more of our life living in the moment.
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