While camping this weekend I was watching my daughter and wife play in the creek, the beauty of the scene and peacefulness of our surroundings was something out of a fairytale. I felt pure joy and happiness arise, but only for a moment. Almost immediately following those euphoric feelings I felt my mind shift to wanting more, dreading our return to civilization, dreaming of a month on the road exploring natural wonders.
My body was still there, sitting by that creek watching my family, but my mind was off, tumbling into the future and tugging my emotions with it. These moments, this is why I meditate. That practice of sitting and continually returning the mind to focus on the present moment, allowed me to step outside that stream of thought, recognize it rising and make a conscious choice; either continue down that thought path, or return to the present moment. It was an obvious choice, submerge myself in that moment and soak it up for as long as I could.
Driving home the next day I still longed to spend more time in nature with my family, we still talked about taking a long trip through California, but I didn’t dread our return to civilization and my longing was out of joy, not frustration. These are the little wins, the little bit more happiness, the little bit less suffering. This is the everyday battle to live more mindfully.