THIS is the Best Part!

I just returned from a short vacation. Before going, I created a mantra – “THIS is the best part!” What’s that about? Let me explain…

A mantra can be a word or phrase used for concentration in meditation or, in my case, this mantra was a statement repeated frequently to remind me of an intention. The intention was to not cling to the vacation. “Clinging” is a term used in Buddhism to describe our tendency to want the good stuff to last, to never end. Clinging leads to anxiety about the ending of this good stuff. I was concerned that the vacation was too short, just a long weekend, and that I would feel deprived for not having a more substantial  vacation. I wanted it to be great and to fulfill all of my vacation needs – to get enough rest, to explore new territories, to laugh/eat/dance with friends, to get absorbed in a book, to get a different perspective on my life – and all the other great things that come when you get away. I wanted it to be longer and I was clinging to it before it even started (thus, I was anxious). I wanted my mantra to help me recognize each moment for the beautiful thing that it was – and there were so many!

I was aware that this “clinging” was also about the end of summer. The end of the glorious weather that takes us outdoors; the end of playtime; the end of flowering gardens (though we still have some time with that); the end of barbecues and beach days. I love summer. I get depressed when it ends. This depression is really grief – the loss of the season. Grief only happens when we are not in this moment, not present with what’s right in front of us. I’ve been aware for a while that I cling to summer. I start clinging to it in May. So this mantra was to help me with that also – this is the best part! This one right here where I appreciating the moment!

And really, to keep it all in perspective, my end-of-summer depression ends around September 10th, and then I fall in love with Autumn – crisp air, colorful fall leaves, soups, sweaters and boots, pumpkin pie. What’s not to love?

I used my mantra well on my vacation and explained it to my friends so that when I said it out loud – over a fabulous tapas dinner, in a treehouse with a bunch of kids, enjoying affection from a big happy dog, playing “I spy” on the long drive – they would all smile knowingly. Yes, THIS IS the best part. Somehow naming all the great times helped me to realize how many wonderful moments there were, to acknowledge and appreciate each one fully and then to let it go. There are so many great moments in any given day. We just don’t usually acknowledge them because we’re often swept up in thinking about the future or past. And truly, this moment right here – the one where you’re reading this line – is the only one we have.