What’s under the flap of Day 14 of the Build a Better You Advent Calendar? It’s ice cream time.

Ice cream time is so important

Now is the only moment that really exists. You may be “doing” now without noticing it, because you’re anticipating future events, or remembering events from the past.

Ice cream time might become my code phrase to remind myself to live in the present moment.

On a recent day filled with scheduled appointments and deadlines, I found myself sitting with my young son eating an ice cream treat after getting a shot at the doctor’s office.

We had to get to the dry cleaner before it closed, and I was watching how slowly he was eating his ice cream and thinking to myself, should we just take the ice cream with us and eat it in the car on the way to the shop?

And then suddenly, I made the decision to step into ice cream time.

To stop just doing the now, and to be in the now. Our time together would not be shaped by the looming closing time of the dry cleaner. I decided that the dry cleaner wouldn’t loom at all. Instead our time together would be shaped by enjoying ice cream with my son.

Time seemed to stop as we talked, and laughed, and ate ice cream. When the ice cream was eaten, time began again. We went out into the world and onto the dry cleaner’s and the rest of our busy day. Rather than making me feel rushed, the ice cream time helped me feel refreshed and revived.

“The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.”  Richard Bach

How good are you at recognizing when a moment together has become ice cream time?

The holiday seasons can become hectic to the point where you are just go-go-go in a mad rush leading up to 24 December. You might miss those moments of just being together and enjoying.  Ask yourself, is it ice cream time right now?

 

Image Credit

“I’m so happy now!” by Flickr user Mariko is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.