Being in the Moment

As I sit here on the pier, I feel the breeze on my face. I hear the waves hitting the shore and the loons calling to each other on the far side of the lake.

I close my eyes and feel warmth on my face. Sunshine! I smell the coffee and feel the large, warm porcelain coffee mug—my grandparents’ old mug—in my hand.

My mug is a big and pretty old Arabia brand mug from the 60’s. Dear to me. I think of my late grandparents when I use their mugs and plates here. I get tears in my eyes writing that. With them I felt loved as I am.

Even they had their struggles – including my granddad’s alcoholism – I have a memory that they were happy to see me and I remember only very few times my grandmother expressed a mild wish for me to be different or do something different. I felt okay as I am with them.

As I swallow my drink, I notice the warm, pleasant sensations in my throat and watch a fluffy cloud sail across the sky.

When the sky turns to pink then purple, I’ll go inside the log cabin and sit by the fire and read a thick book, a French novel which I enjoy and find that 870 pages are not that much actually.

I am rested and relaxed. I’m at peace. Happy.

When did you last time rest in the here and now?

What about right now just feeling your body, looking around and hearing the sounds?

How is it for you to be in the moment?

This is the place where I relax and let go, where I rest and dream. Often the main program of the day here is carrying water inside from the lake, heating the sauna and washing the dishes outside to let them dry in the sun.

Do you have a place where your heart and soul rests? A place where you let yourself go?

My cabin in the woods beside a lake in southern Finland was built by my grandparents in the 1960’s. I can still picture and feel their presence in the cabin even though they are long gone. Each day that I spend here is a celebration of life — my life and the life in nature around me and the life of my grandparents.

The love and presence of my grandparents has been one of the greatest gifts in my life.

I look at their pictures on the shelf of the cabin behind the dining table. I feel gratitude and miss them.

Love,
Tuulia

P.S. Do you want to enjoy a holiday in nature in Finland while also learning about and practicing Radical Honesty with other lovely humans? Check out our upcoming retreats.