Right now I am in the middle of living in what I call “Boxtopia”.  I live in Boxtopia almost annually.  When I tell people I’m moving {again} they often ask if my husband is in the military, which is a fair guess with how much we move and the fact that we live in San Diego. But it’s not that at all – typically we move because there’s some reason that I personally have fallen out of love with where we’re living and I want out.  There’s a bigger story behind the move and I’m going to share that story after I move and get settled.  Being in Boxtopia, along with seeing a series of beer commercials, got me to thinking about something really important.  Knowing where you really are.

Welcome to Boxtopia!

 

First, the beer commercials.

I’ve been doing a lot of wrapping and packing while watching TV and lately there has been a series of commercials for Kona Brewing Company.  I love beer from Kona.  I’m a Sam Adams girl but Kona is my second favorite.  Their Longboard Lager is great.  So when I started seeing commercials for them last week I would stop and watch because they relaxed me.  Plus it’s 30 seconds that incorporates three things I love – Hawaii, Hawaiian guys, and beer.

 

This was the first one I saw…

 

And this was the second one I saw…

 

So what’s the big deal?

These commercials got me thinking.  I’m sitting there, packing up and getting ready to move on to another new place in a few weeks and I’ve had to put my whole life and all my work on hold until I get to the new place and get settled in.  I’m not here, I’m not present.

I’m rushing around, I’m focused on the future and what’s going to happen leading up to moving day, on moving day, what life will be like in my new place that I can’t wait to get to.

I’m also in the past.  Thinking about the things that lead up to us moving to the new place we’re moving to rather than another place we thought we were going to be.  Thinking about what’s going right, what’s gone wrong, and where in the past things shifted direction.

As I find myself having all these thoughts I realize that the stuff I’m doing – the packing, bubble wrapping, sorting out my stuff – is all being done while I’m on auto pilot.  I’m not even paying attention to what I’m doing.

The beer commercials made me pause for a minute or two each time, making me want to come back down to a center point.  To become present.  Inevitably I’d lose that feeling but I’d quickly find myself reminded to go back to it.

 

Here’s the thing…

When you’re spending all your time thinking about the future, planning and dreaming of what’s to come, you aren’t here now.

When you spend a bunch of time thinking about the past, maybe wondering where things went wrong or even where they went right, you aren’t here now. When you are living in the past or the future you’re living in a dream.  Then when the time comes that the future you’ve been dreaming of comes you kind of miss it because you’re already dreaming of the next future.

 

[Tweet “When you live in the past or the future you aren’t able to enjoy what you have today.”]

Being able to enjoy what you have today, finding joy, peace, and gratitude in the now, is what creates the big future that you’re dreaming of.  There’s nothing wrong with dreaming and envisioning your future but you have to actually live in the now.  When you’re living in the now and being fully present you’re able to create and attract that future you desire

 

So here’s the big question…

Where are you really?