Do you allow yourself to enjoy a moment, wholeheartedly? If you find yourself with a moment, do you let yourself sink into it? Or, do you give it to yourself, only to extract yourself before being able to receive it’s riches?

If you’re shaking your head in acknowledgement right now I’m right there with you. In fact I was just there a moment ago. The sun is out today and my small brood of chickens was frolicking outside the kitchen door, enticing me to come out and eat my lunch on the picnic table. My heart was calling me to catch some natural vitamin D in my day.

I acted on this impulse.

I even remembered to grab a tall glass of water (not something I typically remember in the winter months). I sat down. I took in the sights, sounds, smells, and touch of the warm sun and rough table and bench. Just when I was about to sink in, to let go completely to the moment, to receive more of what it had to offer me (the knowing of the initial impulse) I stood up, shook the crumbs off the plate for the chickens and went inside. I acted on the intuitive impulse in my best interest and yet, missed the gift of the moment. The reason I know this is that I didn’t feel filled up from it. I didn’t feel ready, then, to step into the next moment. There was still a part of me outside. I call this missing the moment. It happens, I believe, because we aren’t used to receiving wholeheartedly.

We aren’t practiced in trust, in letting go.

Here’s what I could have done differently and what I will try next time. [It’s crucial here to give yourself another try as soon as you can. When my children have made a poor choice for themselves or the good of each other I always ask them, would you like to try again? Of course they would. We all want another chance to make a more aligned choice. So go ahead and give that to yourself.]

Expanding the moment by expanding my awareness.

Allowing more sensation, inviting more feeling in my body (this could be following my breath), sinking deeper by letting go (this could be releasing my shoulders, my jaw, or the furrow between my eyebrows), and asking “have I received what I needed in this moment?” If the answer is no, see if you can stay put just another moment longer. If you bring your full awareness into the moment you can trust that you will get what you need in the time that you have for it. Time might even expand (I say with a smile). How? Well you might not need as much time after to do the next thing you planned because you feel more filled up, you are revitalized, you are clear and at peace again. Your direction is sure and swift and the rest of the to-do list either gets to-done or isn’t really necessary after all.When you feel fulfilled, satisfied, refreshed, or at peace time becomes more flexible. You become more flexible too.