Where does your mind go when you’re lying in bed at night, about to fall asleep? Do you replay the events of the day or plan what’s ahead for tomorrow? Maybe you scroll through Instagram one last time, argue with your partner, or stew over something your boss said to you?
And what about the morning? As you get up, walk, or eat, are your thoughts already racing ahead to what’s next, or even what’s after that? If any of this sounds familiar, and you struggle to be present in the moment, the story below might resonate with you.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels
A Story About Living in the Moment
Once, a group of seekers visited an old master. They asked him, “What’s your secret to being so happy and at peace? We want to feel like you do.”
The master smiled gently and replied, “When I lie down, I lie down. When I get up, I get up. When I walk, I walk. And when I eat, I eat.”
The seekers looked at each other, confused. One of them blurted out, “Come on, don’t tease us. We do all those things too—sleep, eat, walk—but we’re not happy. So what’s the real secret?”
The master repeated, “When I lie down, I lie down. When I get up, I get up. When I walk, I walk. And when I eat, I eat.”
Sensing their frustration, he added, “The difference is this: when you lie down, your mind is already on getting up. When you get up, you’re thinking about where you need to go. And when you’re walking, you’re planning your next meal. Your thoughts are always somewhere else, not where you are. True life happens in the here and now—the present moment. When you allow yourself to fully experience that, you’ll discover what it means to be happy and at peace.”
[Source unknown]
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If you are interested in learning how to be more present, check out my Beginners Guide to Mindfulness. And if this story resonated with you, why not subscribe to my monthly newsletter, where I regularly share therapeutic stories like this one, along with practical tips, exercises and insights from my work as an online therapist.
Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels
