Being In The Present Moment

     Mauri Wade was a dear friend of mine. In the 1930s a Japanese monk invited her to go to Japan and attend his monastery. He was so surprised when Mauri showed up at his door. He accepted her as  the first non-Japanese female to enter his monastery. 
     Mauri was a cigarette smoker. Whenever she was supposed to be meditating and she chose to also smoke, she would immediately snuff out her cigarette when the head monk would come by her room. One day, she was so caught up in the act of smoking that she did not put out her cigarette.
     "Good," the monk said, "You are learning to be present. If you are going to smoke, smoke."
     Being in the present moment is so important. Try being in the present moment when someone is talking to you. If you are going to listen, then really listen. It is not easy in our fast and future oriented society. If you can listen, you will be surprised by not only what you hear, but by what you sense as well.
     When we can be in the moment, our awareness expands. When our senses  adsorb information, our present awareness allows us to enjoy what we are receiving.