Live The Life You Are Living

Trust the power of now by arriving here,

By settling in,

By breathing deeply.

Inhale right here,

Exhale right now.

You've probably heard that it is not helpful to live into if energy,

As in,

If I only had a different job,

Then I'd be happy.

Or if only I had a huge house,

Then I'd be happy.

Or if only I lived in the woods and nobody could find me to ask one more damn thing of me,

Then I'd be happy.

I don't know about you,

But that last one feels so true right now.

The reason we are warned against living into this if energy is it takes us out of the present and it makes happiness conditional.

Whenever we live out of the present moment,

We are living in fiction.

We are living in a made up reality.

When we live out of the present moment,

We are not living our real life,

Nor are we being our real self.

And when we have to have certain conditions present,

Chances are those conditions ain't gonna happen.

So we end up waiting,

Waiting,

Waiting to be happy.

If by some chance our if does come true,

Chances are it won't be long before we set our sights on some other if that we need in order to be happy.

It becomes an endless,

Vicious cycle.

So why in the world do we do it?

Because it's often easier to put our energy into a made up world rather than to deal with the real world and our real lives right here,

Right now.

Because our real lives in the real world rarely go the way we plan.

And so we have to deal with the fears and the frustrations,

The hopes dashed and the histories we'd rather forget.

Living with if gives us something to look forward to not live in.

But this takes a toll.

I just recently realized I've been letting if energy dictate my life for years.

I'm constantly trying to figure out how to make a living at yoga or writing or meditation.

I'm constantly checking the latest postings for new jobs,

New houses,

New dogs.

Because I can't imagine this is what I'm supposed to be doing.

This right here,

Right now is how I'm supposed to be living.

So I thrash and I fight and I struggle and I seek because I want more.

Which means I completely miss the gifts smack dab in front of me.

So recently I wondered what if I am living the exact life I am supposed to be living?

What if I am right where I am supposed to be?

And what if the same is true for you?

What if you are living the exact life you are supposed to be living now?

Maybe you aren't.

Maybe there are actual dangers present in your life.

And if that's the case,

I hold you in light as you gather your wits and your courage to make your next move.

But if you aren't in danger,

Consider it.

What if you are right where you are meant to be?

With all the joys,

All the challenges and struggles,

All the long and boring stretches of the ordinary,

All the crises and griefs,

Fears and pains.

What if this is the job you are meant to be doing?

What if this is the place you are meant to be living?

What if this is the person you are meant to be in relationship with?

This can feel terrifying because it means we choose to be in this moment,

In this now,

And to let it be enough.

When we do that,

We have to face what is and what is not working.

We need to do the work to address what we are doing to create goodnesses and difficulties for ourselves and those around us.

If we claim these lives of ours right here,

Right now,

It means we have to quit living with one foot always out the door.

It means we plant and ground ourselves to live where our feet are.

And when we do that,

We can claim what is working and name it with a sense of gratitude and wonder and awe.

And we can gather our courage and name what isn't working and figure out what our next best step is.

It's much easier to live in fiction,

In a made-up world where we can imagine whatever storyline we want.

And trust me,

I love a life of imagination.

But this is the one real life you've got.

Are you going to live it?

To live as if you are right where you are meant to be?

To live your here,

Now,

Fully,

Bravely,

Kindly,

Fiercely,

And see what it is like to live light and shine.