Dude, where’s my summer?

Remember when summer used to last forever? September was so far away it was never going to happen. Of course that was back in the days before kids and a mortgage and all those other grown up responsibilities.

This summer has already come and gone, and it feels like it never even started.

Or was I just too busy to notice?

Life’s greatest joys are usually found in the details. It’s the little things we notice when we actually take the time to notice them. Fully immersed in the present moment. But with the pace of life these days, who has time for details?

There’s always some place we’re trying to get to. There’s always something else to be done. Life sometimes feels like an all-you-can-eat buffet. You know, far too much on the plate and even more waiting to be piled on. You’re thinking about the fried chicken as you’re eating the meatloaf. Eating without tasting.

It would be easy to blame my schedule for my inability to enjoy my now-departed summer. Being too busy is a wonderful excuse. I’m not looking for someone or something to blame. But if I don’t make the time for the details in my life don’t I run the risk of missing my entire life in the process?

Living. Without living.

Some people visit amusement parks with the expressed goal of riding every ride in the park. The all-you-can-eat buffet strategy, where you’re thinking about the roller coaster as you’re sitting on the ferris wheel. Sacrificing the intimate details of the present moment as you focus one eye on what’s next on the list.

Isn’t it better to simply enjoy the view from the ferris wheel?

Cramming stuff on our plate sounds like a great way to get our money’s worth, be it at a buffet or theme park. But is that the ideal way to live a life?

We are all busy supporting the infrastructure of our lives. All in the name of our own happiness and contentment. But the joy and happiness that we all seek already surrounds us. It’s already within us. We just have to take the time to see it.

It’s all in the details.

Don’t miss your own life trying to find what you already have.

It’s a great day to be you!