I wrote a great post this morning and swore I saved it before logging off my home computer. Unfortunately, I did not, which is perfect, because today’s post is all about THIS moment. Not the one I had at 8:00 a.m.

I live such a busy and full life that sometimes the end of the day rolls around and I cannot remember what I have been doing since my alarm went off at 6:00 a.m. I sometimes get annoyed when my day’s plans are distracted by life’s moments, whether it’s a broken shower pan, a medical crisis, or a phone call from my children arguing over the TV remote.

Today is a milestone day on my calendar. For 22 years I have been clean and sober. For me, this anniversary is a day where I have always stopped to reflect on my life, where I have been, what I have accomplished. It’s a time where I remember and acknowledge the people I have met along my path, who have changed the course and direction of my life. It’s a time where I reflect on my accomplishments, and where I identify where I want to go, and start to map out how I will get there. And BLA BLA BLA.

Ugh. How self-absorbed. I had to physically stop myself and get into THIS moment.

A friend of mine, a highly successful executive in the technology industry, shared a story about how her husband questioned WHY she was watching the Michael Jackson funeral last year. She replied that it was a “once in a lifetime moment.” Without hesitation he countered, “Every moment is  a “once in a lifetime” moment.”

Wow. “Every moment is a ‘once in a lifetime’ moment.”

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1wg1DNHbNU]

As I was swirling around in that self-absorbed cycle this morning I came to realize how much I was missing. It wasn’t huge. Just simple things. A cup of coffee. A perfectly ripe mango. The sun flowing through the trees outside my living room window. The sweet sounds coming from my wind chimes.

But that moment has passed. Never to be recreated the same, just like THIS post, while similar in theme, is completely different than the one I wrote this morning.

So I am now in THIS moment. Listen to the voices outside my office. Watching the sun reflect off the buildings of downtown Los Angeles. My coffee has been replaced by tea, and I am still satisfied from the wonderful mango.The chimes have been replaced by the hum of my computer … and yet it is still soothing and peaceful.

I will never again repeat THIS moment exactly. But I can enjoy it right now. I can also take time out of my busy day and pause here and there. It is only then, in those moments of quiet and peace, when projects are flying at me faster than I can complete them,  that I may marvel at the simplicity of the moment and the grace I feel. I can find the gratitude that I so often ignore and pay homage to the moment. This simple, little moment.