I stood in the doorway, waiting for my turn to collect some overdue papers, as I watched her arrange some artificial flowers in a cheap vase. There was nothing remarkable except that she was taking her time arranging each individual flower. Handling each flower separately. She carefully removed the leaves surrounding the flowers and placed them in the vase. Then she turned to the leaves and arranged them eloquently around the edges of the vase. She took every leaf, straightened it with her fingers, bent it ever so slightly to give it a more natural look, and then placed it within the arrangement.

I stood there, for God knows how long, mesmerized by the almost hypnotic movements of her hands and fingers as she continued to arrange the flowers. She knew exactly where to place each flower as if she was duplicating an image that only she could see. Patiently she continued her work paying little or no attention her surroundings. She didn’t look at all worried about the end result, rather she was enjoying herself. I was able to see it clearly in her smile, and in her relaxed movements; she was having fun.

Imagine if we could go about our everyday lives with the same manner. Taking the time to relish every moment; letting it sink in. Just doing what we have to do, and do it well. Not worrying about the end result. Perfection will certainly follow. They call this “living in the now,” where one concentrates on the moment and not think about everything else. Let’s think about this for a moment: what’s passed is history which we cannot change, and the future is unknown. The only thing we have control over is “now”, so why not pay enough attention to it and really live it?