Lifestyle

Being Here…Too: Learning How to Live in the Present

I’m writing this blog entry on a Sunday night, by far my least favorite part of the week. “Sunday scaries” is what I think they call them now. But what if we didn’t stress about the week and all that lies ahead of us? Sundays would be pretty darn great then. You get to sleep late – my all time favorite thing to do – have a late, boozy brunch, and not feel guilty about the amount of unread emails sitting in your inbox. What’s not to like about a perfect Sunday like that?

This is the essential concept behind Ariel and Shya Kane’s “Being Here…Too” – a book of short, inspiring stories about love, life, death and everything in between. For high achievers especially, living in the current moment can bring a balance that otherwise eludes us. As someone who juggles two fairly different careers – in luxury real estate and as a digital content creator for brands and my own social media – I need to develop these tools more, as I already see how it can be beneficial to both my professional and personal life.

One of the most touching stories in the book was of a man in his 50s whose wife underwent several operations for a brain tumor. Things eventually turned out okay, but for a while the situation looked grim. Instead of constantly worrying about how much longer he may have with his beloved, he learned – at least most of the time – to “be present” and enjoy every moment he was able to spend with her.

Several years ago, my father died of lung cancer, which he battled for a little under two years. When he was diagnosed, it was already stage 4 so we weren’t really kidding ourselves as to how this would probably end. And of course, when I first heard the news I completely freaked out – we all did. But once we processed the news, and once my father decided on a treatment plan, we largely went on with our lives. The moments we spent together doing seemingly mundane things – dinners, movies, car trips, conversation – are some of the loveliest moments we’ve all had.

Similarly, when I was in a wheelchair and unable to walk for 4 months (I was hit by a car that broke both my legs; my right leg underwent 3 six-hour operations), I couldn’t think about how many more months I had to go before I could even place one foot on the ground (because every time I did I went bonkers). This was a period in my life where I literally had to take one day at a time. All I had to do was perform the daily exercise required by my doctor. I was off the hook for working out because I simply couldn’t (haha)!I was relieved of any and all work obligations. I could watch all the bad TV I wanted. So when I stopped thinking about the future, or what could have been, and just “existed” from one moment to the next, I was able to enjoy the positives, like having little to no responsibilities for a change.

This book has given me a greater sense of perspective for those moments where we all just get a little too “caught up” and I highly recommend it to anyone who’s craving that much needed balance in their lives.

Get your own copy of the book HERE.

Know more about the authors Ariel and Shya Kane, by clicking THIS link. Get inspired by listening to their podcast, by clicking this LINK.

 

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