I stood my ground. Even though I had been walking out the door and had things to do and places to go, I stayed. She came bustling in right as I was leaving work. If I hadn’t recently read and been practicing my new EQ skill, I would have made my excuses and left.

I knew she was going through a rough time, but it took conscientious effort to lay aside my to do list and recognize that this was an opportunity to listen, connect and encourage. Pausing, I pushed my to do list aside and asked how things were going. As she began to talk, I focused on her words, her expression and what she must be feeling.

Living in the moment: to be actively engaged in the present instead of focusing on the past or future.

Thirty minutes of conversation passed. I knew my to do list could wait. When she had finished what she had stopped by work to complete, we left together.

“Make being in the present a habit…wherever you are, be as present as possible so that you see the people around you, and experience life in the moment.” *

My mind naturally wanders toward the future, thinking of what I hope to do and what I must do. It wanders backwards too, where I have been and if I took the best course of action.

Living in the moment sounds simple. I wish it were.

Have you lived in the moment this week?

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*Bradberry, Travis and Jean Graves. Emotional Intelligence 2.0. San Diego: Talentsmart ,2009. Print.