What's wonderful about this moment

Many years ago my stellar Comp Lit professor at Cal, Carolyn Tipton, taught me that I should present only one argument in my essays, not undermine my case by also presenting the other side of it.

This lesson is still chiming for me as I ask myself “What’s wonderful right now?”

I gave myself a little self-assignment to notice what is wonderful in this moment. I can often find many things – the weather, that there are people in my life whom I love and who love me, the fact that the earth produces food, the trees in blossom, birds singing. It’s easy for me to identify these; they are abundant. But then, creeping stealthily in, other things come to mind that are not wonderful about this moment. Hey, I’m not saying that they aren’t there. But this exercise is to identify the things that are wonderful. So, I re-focus and let those other aspects float at the edge of my thought, but I don’t invite them to the party.

Similar to when I engage with a meditation practice, I find that when I make the time (less than a minute!) to simply acknowledge what’s great in this moment, my breath flows more easily, my shoulders drop, my concentration improves and I start to feel more energized. It's a great way to get grounded when you sit to write. If you try it, let me know how it works for you!