As autumn in Bath, Ontario, gently begins, I find myself enjoying my daily walks in nature even more than I did in the summer.  Every season, like every human being, has its own rhythm , beauty, gifts and small pleasures.  It is the small pleasures of life that I am thinking about and enjoying today.

Some of my small pleasures include: listening to uplifting music, reading a cherished book, having a cup of tea with family and friends, watching the geese fly over my cottage and wishing on a new moon.  What are yours?

Enjoying our small pleasures brings us into the present moment so that we can truly savour our time on Mother Earth.  Rumi says, “the soul is here for its own joy.”  Our analytical mind takes a break from criticism and judgment and for a brief period we are content to just ‘be’ in the here and now.

Practicing being present in the moment and enjoying our small pleasures with full awareness also prepares us to be able to stay present and conscious when things in our lives seem to become difficult and challenging.  Then, we are able to handle the ‘trying’ times with an energy field inside us and around us that vibrates at a higher frequency than the negativity and discord.

In fact, enjoying our small pleasures, living in the NOW, being aware and fully present for experience, can lead us to an ‘awakening’ rather than to a deeper level of unconsciousness.  We need to be able to engage our true power in the present.

Many teachers have guided us to practice the art of surrendering to the present moment.  Louise Hay offers us a lovely affirmation: “My goal in life is to be in love with every moment.  I choose to have fun doing this.  I choose to be free.”

If you are not already doing so, why not consider shifting into a power consciousness today?  The present moment is the point of power.  Take the opportunity to be fully present for whatever happens.  Focus on the world around you and savour its value.  Shift into the new consciousness of your dreams, NOW.  There is no time like the present.

Taisen Deshimaru says, “time is not a line, but a series of now-points.”  Enjoy your small pleasures for their innate value and their beauty and meaning to you and let them also be stepping-stones for the larger pleasures or manifestations that you are co-creating with Source.

Happy Autumn,   Love, Monica