With a newborn, I spend a lot of time in my rocking chair, feeding him, rocking him, singing to him, etc. Granted, it is less time now than with my first child as I am chasing after my 3 and 5 year old as well, but it is still a considerable amount of time. While I am sitting in this chair I have a lot of time to think. I actually enjoy the excuse to be able to sit down and be still for a while. This life I have created where I think I have to be superwoman and do EVERYTHING there possibly is to do and if I don’t accomplish it with greatness, I am a failure, can be very taxing and overwhelming at times. This opportunity to just sit and think and “be” actually helps me handle all of the other duties and responsibilities I have taken on in this life.

Today I was thinking about the difference between simply living life and living life to its fullest. Simply going about day to day activities, just getting from one thing to the next and hoping that you can survive whatever life throws at you is not living your life to its fullest. Usually you are just numb and just surviving. You may be functioning well and accomplishing the tasks you set out to do, but you are not experiencing your life like you could be. People who are depressed are often numb. They aren’t feeling anything and when that depression lifts, it is like the sun coming out and everything is brighter and prettier and more amazing than you had ever noticed before.

Living life to its fullest is about experiencing everything in the moment. It is about not worrying about the past or being anxious about the future, but being fully awake and aware of the moment you are in right now. It is about experiencing the beauty of your surroundings, appreciating the complexities of nature and the miracles that are your children. It is about noticing the ordinary and being grateful for what you do have. It is about breathing and having an awareness that you are feeling your emotional states and being OK with whatever emotional state you are in. It is about accepting who you are, as you are, without reservation.

Sometimes it takes slowing down and taking stock of where you are in your life and what you want to get out of it, more than just what tasks you want to accomplish, but how you want to live, even how you want to feel. I know I am grateful for the opportunity to be “forced” to slow down and remember what is really important to me and where my energy should be focused. I am grateful for the blessings I have in my life and look forward to the many years of amazing moments ahead.

Carol Agnew, MA, LMFT

Online Counselor

www.asktheinternettherapist.com/online_counselor_ag.asp

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