Right Now Is The “Good Old Days”—Don’t Wait To Live, Love and Enjoy Them Before They Are Gone
I constantly remind myself—Now is my time to love and shine—Don’t put off living the important things, for “time waits for no one.”
THE DAWNING LIGHT # 272 Monday June 12, 2023
STILL MOUN TAIN CHRONICLES Section # 20
Photo Credit: Chinmayan “Sunset on Still Mountain”
I constantly remind myself— Now is my time to love and shine—This is it! Don’t put off living the important things, for “time waits for no one.”
Savoring The Golden Moments
I am sitting at my desk in my tiny writing studio aboard my tiny house, savoring each and every golden moment of the morning.
A light breeze flows through the open window, smelling of the possibility of rain.
The fields that surround Still Mountain as far as the eye can see all the way to the mountains are no longer green but tinged with brown. Tall grass sheaves are tossing their heads in the wind.
Photo Credit: Chinmayan
Haying Season Is Here as A Sign Of Summer
The haying season has begun throughout our valley, which is miles of spread out and empty fields with a few scattered houses and barns. I have already seen tractors going back and forth across the fields in orderly lines, laying the cut grass in neat rows as they pass.
After the grass dries, another machine will move along these rows, scooping up all the dry grass, compacting it into bales with wire tightly bound around it and then spitting each new bale onto a trailer.
The entire valley is cut this way, for hay is vital and necessary for feeding all the cattle and horses on the farms and ranches.
At the market value of $25 to $50 or more per bale, growing and cutting hay on your own land is necessary and makes a lot of sense.
Photo Credit: Chinmayan
The Ranch That Surrounds Still Mountain And Our “Salt Of The Earth” Neighbor
The ranch that surrounds Still Mountain on three sides is still owned by the descendants of one of the first homesteading families that came here as pioneers in the 1850’s, passed down from father to son over the generations.
Our neighbor is a “salt of the earth” type of guy who exudes easy rock-solid feelings of stability and natural wisdom born of working this land since boyhood.
Though he is now in his mid 80’s, he and his wife still do everything that needs doing on their ranch themselves. Like his ancestors before him, he will probably live to be a hundred years old in good health and sound mind because of his working every day and his love of the work on the land where his roots go so deep. He is as strong and stolid as the huge old oak trees that line the creek on the edge of his fields.
From my window, I see him in the fields checking on his cattle. Soon he will start haying and once started, will work from daylight until late night every day to get his hay in.
I’ve seen the headlights of his tractor going back and forth in the fields late at night many times.
Photo Credit: Chinmayan
I Have Been Here So Long That This Land and Mountains Are Part Of Me
I have been here in this county for forty-two years...(since 1981) which is long enough that I feel rooted into this land, this valley, and these mountains which have become part of me.
I believe it is very important to live in a home and an area that you love unreservedly.
If you don’t really love where you live, but are making yourself tolerate it, I suggest to first look for anything you do like about it…and then another and another to see if you can ignite that very important love.
You Gotta Love Where You Live And Live In A Place You Love
But, even after doing that, you simply are not in love with the place, then boldly start planning your way to find and move to a new place that makes your heart sing.
Almost all of the pictures we use in each issue of “The Dawning Light” are of this special area that I call “home”. Many of them are taken here on Still Mountain, for if you look at your home with loving eyes, you will send so much beauty and wonder to love.
It really is true— “Home Is Where The Heart Is.”
Photo Credit: Chinmayan
To Make the Most of Life, You Need to Choose and Create a Life You Love Living
I can say, now that I am in my “golden years”, that I have learned how important it is to create a life for yourself that you absolutely love. And to not put it off until some later promised time—when the kids are grown, when you retire, when you have enough money or any other perfectly reasonable reason.
Life only happens in the now and now is always the best time to live the life your really want, need and love.
If you can hear this truth and act on it, then years from now, you won’t have to look back on this time that is presently in your hands and within your choice, with regrets over lost years.
We Are Now Living The Life We Love, Want and Need
Now that we are living the life we love and have always wanted, I realize we could have done it long ago and saved ourselves years of stress, strain and misplaced priorities.
Now that we are free of our old lives, I feel as if we are being reborn everyday. There is no part of me that could ever consider a return to the “bad old days.”
When I remember those times of doing so many things with our precious time, energy and attention that we were convinced were necessary, but which were so rough on us—I am all the more grateful for the beautiful life we are living now.
Photo Credit: Chinmayan
These Are “The Good Old Days”—Right Here, Right Now!
I am happier, more content, more blissful, more focused on important work that I absolutely love, closer to the divine, having breakthroughs in my prayer, meditation, mantra and kirtan practice than ever before……. because we consciously chose to create the life we love, want and need.
Every day we find new ways to improve ourselves, our relationship, our work, our connection with God and our shared lives.
We are both aware of how precious this time is, and that there is no time to waste on anything that is not on our purpose line.
Taking time to pray and meditate, singing “Om Mani Paydmeh Hung” and listening to the directions of my own heart’s intuitive inner guidance is what keeps me on course.
I have come to understand that—
One of the keys to a meaningful life is to simply remind myself:
“IN JOY YOURSELF IN THIS PRESENT MOMENT”
This is it!
These are the “good old days” that I am going to look back fondly on IF I make the most of all the love, the sweet inner guidance, the grace and blessings and all the other good things flowing through my life.
Photo Credit: Chinmayan
A SPECIAL SONG AND VIDEO FOR YOU
From Chinmayan’s Inspirational Playists
This is a truly wonderful song that I have on repeat and I believe you will too.
It is a sweet video of MC Yogi singing with a heart full of love, and includes lyrics so you can sing along.
I have shared this song with everyone in my circle of love…and now with you…because it is such a blessing.
“Love will always find a way….”
“All The Love In The World” By MC Yogi
Original Revelation and Calligraphy by Chinmayan
Image Credit: Still Mountain Meditation Center
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“Your greatest service to humanity is to attain your own Self Realization!” Ramana Maharshi
I love your message about making your home a sanctuary. Also love the song you shared! 💜