Tag: in the moment

Posted in Moments of grace

Enjoy the sprinkles

Posted on by William Douthwaite

I’ve learned a lot about living in the moment from my grandchildren. For the most part, their lives are all about right now. They have no calendar, no to-do list, no appointments, and no notifications.

A couple of the granddaughters live out this truth before my eyes at the donut shop. Their donut choice is always the same: pink icing with sprinkles. We sit at a table and they get to work.

While I would polish off a donut like that in four or five bites, they start with the sprinkles. They pick up and savor every sprinkle one by one. As you might imagine, this takes at least ten minutes.

Next comes the icing. There are two ways to do this. You can lick the icing off the top of the donut. Or you can put it in your mouth one finger full at a time. Either way, this step isn’t over until the donut has been completely de-iced. This will take another ten minutes.

Now it’s time for the donut itself. The proper way to do this is to take little bites all the way around the top of the donut. A few times around the donut and you’re done. Except for the icing around your mouth, and crumbs on you lap, the table, the chair and the floor.

The process takes at least thirty minutes. For those thirty minutes, though, nothing else matters. Time is immaterial. It’s just you and the donut, alone in the universe.

Will they always be slow, intentional eaters? Will they always savor every morsel? Or will they learn to wolf down a couple of donuts between the drive thru window and the interstate? Who knows.

It’s astounding…time is fleeting…unless you slow down to enjoy the sprinkles.

Posted in Moments of grace

Today might be the day!

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Alexas_Fotos on Unsplash

“You never know. Today might be the day my Creator calls me home.”

Well, that’s not the kind of answer I was expecting. I simply asked, “How’s it going today?”

A couple of techs had come to install the sliding screen doors on our garage. I knew them from the first time they came out. About two months ago they were ready to do the install but discovered the manufacturer had made the doors a couple of inches too short. This time, though, everything was fitting perfectly.

Tech number one was hurting. He had just been in a serious car accident and was nursing a sore back. Tech number two did the heavy lifting. Towards the end of the job, I asked number two if his week was going to be busy.

He replied, “I just take it one day at a time. You never know. Today might be the day my Creator calls me home.”

I said, “Yeah, I know what you mean.” But I’ve been thinking about his words and that outlook on life.

One current mantra is “be present.” Be “in the moment.” Get off your phone. Take your eyes off the screen. Don’t be distracted by any number of distractions. When you’re with someone, be there, listening and interacting with them.

I spend a lot of time on my digital calendar. That’s where I plan the future. Even in retirement, life is filled with places to be, people to see, commitments, appointments, holidays, and special occasions. Or I look back to remember what happened, where I went, and things I forgot to do.

But what about today?

You and I really don’t know what’s going to happen in the future. And there’s nothing we can do to change the past. What’s left?

Today.

I’m not saying you need to get a whole lot done today. Although you might. I’m not saying you need to clear your schedule. Although you might. I’m not saying you shouldn’t plan for tomorrow or next month. I’m not saying you should forget all your great memories from the past.

Just make sure you have a “today.”

Who will you talk to today? What will you eat today (yukky or yummy)? What or who will make you laugh today? What will you create today? What kinds of things will you say today? What job or project will you work on today? How long of a nap will you take today? Who will you pray for today? What will you bake today? (Please bake something!)

Someone once said, “Teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Live today as if it may be your last. But also pace yourself as though you’ve got many days to go. Your life is finite. But you are alive today. You may never have this opportunity again. But you will have many more opportunities.

If it’s a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day, it will be over soon. If it’s a wonderful day, you’ll remember it fondly. If it’s your last day, you get to go home. Tell Jesus I said, “Hi.” If you wake up here, you get another chance. Give someone a call and say, “Hi.”

Oh, and bake something, too!