When I was a teenager, I watched a lot of Japanese horror films, and something I kept noticing that I liked about them was their emphasis on the little moments. The romanticization of the mundane. The movie could be about paranormal hauntings, but the little cinematic scenes of a character doing basic tasks stood out to me the most. It was seeing the little daily things we take for granted, emphasized in a beautiful way, as if to make every moment in life seem special.
And after watching those movies, I’d find myself slowing down a bit, appreciating the sensation and action of everyday movements. My careful footsteps on the wood floor, the clinking of silverware when I put the dishes away. Each action seemed to have more meaning, the more I paid attention to them.
There’s an importance to slowing down and experiencing a moment with all the senses. Being present. Quieting the mind and being engrossed in a task. Doing things deliberately, instead of operating on autopilot. Because real life is in those moments of mindfulness.
It’s not as easy as it looks in the movies. We have distractions everywhere. We’re always thinking about the future and the past. Our thoughts run on in an endless stream. We’re busy all the time.
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I have a lot of big goals, and now that I’m back on my path, I feel so excited and ready to work. Which is a great thing. But I also have a brain that can take anything to an unhealthy extreme if I’m not careful. Balance is something that I’m actively working on. I can’t let myself focus too much on the future, even in a a positive way, because then I don’t focus on the present, which is all that there is. And nothing in the future, and nothing external can bring me that feeling of contentedness that can only be found in being present.
Life is literally in the little things, in the mundane, in the everyday. All we have is now, so slow down and enjoy this moment. Celebrate your small accomplishments, because they all add up. Romanticizing your life allows you to truly enjoy the moment you are living in now. It helps us realize that the little moments can be just as special as the big ones if we make them.
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