I just got back from a walk.

It’s beautiful and sunny. Cold. Crisp. Fall-like.

As I was walking across a bridge, I paused to look out over the water.

Then I closed my eyes and started to breathe. I felt the cold wind on my shins and my face, and felt the built-up warmth beneath my almost-winter-jacket. The contrast was delightful.

I just wanted to breathe into that moment, be there, appreciate it. Allow myself to fully soak it in. Especially since I knew those moments would be fleeting, they’d pass; I’d move on and come home and continue to do the things I had to do. And in time, the weather will change and I’ll move on and I won’t be here, standing here, looking at this forever.

So, I wanted to stay there, linger in the joy of just being there, standing there, experiencing that.

I appreciate any moment when I can sink into the present.

When I can soften and settle and breathe.

A part of why I love going on walks and being in nature is because they bring me so naturally into the present moment. Between the sounds and the colors and the sights all around, it’s so easy for me to fall into the now. Into focusing on the world around me or how my body feels in space. In just feeling appreciative for that moment and what I’m doing. Where I’m breathing. What I’m seeing and what I’m experiencing.

For many of us, it can be too easy to get caught up in our heads—in our responsibilities, in the things we have to do (or think we have to do), in everyday irritations or annoyances or frustrations.

We can get so into our normal, everyday routines that we forget the magical little things that are all around us. The simple joys. The things we like. The beauty. The potential. Our deeper inner soul priorities.

We can forget to appreciate what we’re experiencing while we’re experiencing it. Simple things like a good cup of tea or coffee. Laughing with a loved one. A wonderful nap. Cuddling with a pet. A good meal.

And if there’s one thing I want: it’s to experience and appreciate my life while I’m living it. I don’t want to be so in my head that I miss out on everything that’s actually happening while it’s happening. I want to be present. Actively present.

We need to have a way to connect, to ground down into who we are, to come back to ourselves—to what really matters to us. To connect to ourselves, to our hearts, to what we love, to stillness, to joy, to softness, to ease. To the present moment.

We need to have space to do things we love to do. Things that nourish us, nurture us, that bring us joy. Things that help us connect to our ourselves. To our hearts. To what we want. To who we are.

Things that we love just because we love them.

Life is a balance. We’re always going to have things we “have” to do—some of which we want to do and some of which we may not want to do. We’ll get caught up in emotions or other mental irritations. It’s okay; it’s human; it happens.

But we need to have a way to come back to ourselves—to what really matters to us.

I love walking, nature, meditation, stretching, and breathing deeply. These things ground me, soothe me, and help me connect to me, to that which is greater than me, and to the present moment.

These things help me to be present, they help me to practice being present, and by being present in and with these things, I’m more present in every area of my life.

And when I’m present, life feels better.

How do you nourish yourself? Nurture yourself? How do you connect to you? How do you stay present, grounded, connected? What brings you joy? What makes you feel peaceful? Alive? Soul-centered? Balanced? What do you love to do?

Think about it. And then try to spend more time doing those things.

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