Mindfullness

Be where you be.

This is a phrase trademarked by my family. My parents and brothers told me this daily, maybe even hourly when I was in high school. Caught in the drama of a teenage world, I was constantly on my phone. I wasn't living in the present. This same theme has been reoccurring in my life lately.

As I hiked 15,000 feet above sea level this weekend, I kept thinking "be where you be". Why? Well, when you're sick from altitude, nothing sounds better than the bottom of the mountain. Nothing sounds better than the bus ride home. Caught up in thoughts of the future, I was constantly reminding myself to live in the present. I kept thinking, "I'm in the Andes mountains, I don't care if I'm about to throw up, I need to take this all in."

Much like a hard hike, it's easy in life to seek happiness in the future, in the destination. I am a dreamer. I am a planner. How I'd like things to go, and how they'll probably end up are two completely different stories, however I'd like to think I have an idea. I'd like to think that I'll be accepted into nursing school, living in Omaha, and maybe meet my future husband within the next couple of years. The problem with my plans are that I always think that the next thing is going to make me happier. When I live in Omaha, I'll be so happy. When I find a boyfriend, man I'm going to be on cloud 9. While the second one may hold some truth, it's hard not to think that the next best thing is coming. Someday, maybe if I'm really lucky I'll have a house, a husband, kids, a stable job, and lots of dogs...

But I don't have any of that. It's great to think about the future, but if you're caught up in the future, you'll miss the now. When you're only thinking about the top (or the bottom) of the mountain, you miss the waterfalls, blossoming plants, and mooing cows.  It's easy to think that happiness will be found somewhere else, but when your mind is set on this, you'll never really be happy where you're at. So here's to this moment, and finding happiness wherever you may be.