Living in the Moment

Scenario: You are snowboarding in the Olympics. You are carving down a mountain slope on a bright winter day. The snow is fresh and crisp. The distant peaks are majestic and large evergreen trees are draped with blankets of snow.

But you - are pissed off. You've just realized that you're not going to finish in the medals. The podium ceremony where they hoist your flag and anoint you with precious metal will not happen for you. You are devastated. You can't believe how luck has passed you by. You bow your head as that sinking feeling settles in your gut.

But wait a minute. You are snowboarding in the Olympic games! No, you're not a paid professional. But you're on a trip to one of the premier locations in the world with all expenses paid. You're young and have your whole life ahead of you. And you've just experienced something that very few will ever experience: You are an olympic athlete! Oh, the stories you can tell your family and friends; children and grandchildren.

Sound familiar? It should.

You can transpose this scenario to every outdoor adventure imaginable (or any other experience for that matter). Loosing perspective is a human frailty. We want what we don't have and forget to enjoy what we have. Failure to relish in the present is a tragedy.

We can go through our entire life wishing for something better. "When will I arrive?" You say. But you have arrived already. When will I reach my goals? But you've reached many of them already.

We live in a society that worships the ultra successful - that is those who have fame and money. We attend in droves to hear motivational speakers - and that person is striving to become the next Dr. Phil, or Oprah, or whomever.

If we continue to look to the horizon thinking that our treasures are just beyond, we will forget to notice the blessings at our feet.

Don't spend your life thinking about the "If only" scenarios. Think about what you have. Think about the good things that surround you.

So the next time you are sitting on a stool looking down an ice fishing hole waiting for the fish to bite, or waiting in a tree stand for that trophy buck, or simply walking in the leafless woods as the snow begins to fall - think about the present. Contemplate that you will never live this moment again.

And it will become magical.

Learn to live in the moment.