Leaves of Abundance Now

There really is abundance all around us, sometimes we just need to slow down and appreciate it in the present moment. It seems that everyone is in a rush to get somewhere or get something done but why? Perhaps the real reason we’re here is to enjoy the journey, enjoy the now. More and more self-help and spiritual books are being written on the topic of happiness, gratitude and joy and they are far outselling fiction books these days. Books like “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle, “Happiness Now” by Robert Holden, “An Open Heart” by the Dalai Lama and countless others that I’ve thoroughly enjoyed. That’s probably because with todays fast pace of life more and more people are missing the joy and fun in their lives and seek answers in such books. They certainly assisted me.

We’ve all heard the saying, “it’s not about arriving at the destination, it’s about the journey”. Yet why do we ignore this when it’s so true. Sure we all have goals to get things done or achieve milestones and that’s great to have direction, but if we totally ignore the path that we’re on to take us there we miss out on all the beautiful scenery. I took a recent road trip with my kids to visit another province because we’re moving and needed to scout houses, that was my purpose, but the journey was amazing. The Maritimes, where we currently live on the east coast, boasts some of the most beautiful autumn scenery. It also tends to change earlier than places more inland. Well as we hopped into our vehicle we immediately noticed all the gorgeous colors of the leaves. We played games on our ten-hour trip of pointing out all the striking yellows, oranges and fiery reds mixed in with the vibrant contrast of the green – it was breathtaking. Our journey took us through the Appalachian mountains where at some points we could see off into the distance an ocean of color for miles as the mountains were all painted with a patchwork of these awesome colors. We all felt such overwhelming gratitude and awe over this spectacle of nature.

The best part was that it seemed to go on for ever and ever miles and miles of color and new configurations to dazzle us. As I drove I pondered all the abundance in the world and I’d only seen a tiny fraction of it. Imagine how many intricately colored trees and even more painted leaves on these mountains, on our abundant planet. What even boggled my mind more was that these leaves continue to replenish themselves every season for millions of years. Now if that’s not abundance I don’t know what is.

We stopped several times to take pictures and just take it all in. Even my twelve and fifteen-year olds were captivated. I heard them telling their cousins all about it with such excitement when we finally did arrive. Everything happens in the now, even memories are always relived in the present moment, but if we rush through the now to get to that future point we never actually arrive and we become lost. I’ve discovered that the simplest and most basic secret of finding joy and inner peace is simply to stop and get present. Stop what you’re doing often and just pause, observe all that is around you. Don’t try to label things just appreciate the colors, shapes, trees, art, the sky, the sun, the stars. By taking it in and just watching and experiencing the simple pleasures our minds stop racing and we have time to feel our inner being at peace.

It really works, sure it may take some practice and reminding to do it, I’ve posted notes around my home to help with that. It is so rewarding and it’s not something that is outside of you but rather right inside you accessible at any present moment. Stop to smell the roses or even just the autumn air because now is forever changing.