Just “Be”
When you’re a twenty something, it’s a period of figuring out everything. But now, more than ever, when our responsibilities and obligations are for many of us, mostly to ourselves, maybe it’s a good time to learn how to just be.
Just “be.”
It’s a silly thing to say at a time in your life when you’re “supposed” to be doing everything other than being. You’re supposed to be figuring out life – what you want to do for a career, where you want to live, who you want to be with, etc. And those are all important things. But how much time do we spend thinking about everything other than the present moment and just “being” in it?
It’s a rarity. In fact, I take a restorative yoga class once or twice a week depending on my schedule and that hour when I’m supposed to be “focusing on my breath,” “clearing my mind,” and all that good stuff, is one of the hardest mental exercises for me. I suggest you try it, you will realize how difficult it is to just be.
Just “being” is a concept that I will confess is not my bread and butter. Both in what it actually means, and how to achieve it. I am always constantly thinking about focusing on the present and how I should be happy in the present, and even then, I get lost in the worry of the next moment or just get lost in other thoughts.
But last night I had a bit of a just “be” moment. Right before I was getting ready to take a shower, I took a look at myself in the mirror and looked at my body and my face. Usually, I pick myself apart and all the things that I could fix – my abs should be more defined, my thighs are so big and muscular, I need my legs to be leaner, I wish my face was spotless, etc. But I thought to myself – why not just be? My body and my face is not perfect but it is good, it is good because it’s mine and I try to take care of it. There will always be something to fix I’m sure, but in the moment, I was grateful to have it and to accept it and to love it simply because it is. Imperfections included.
So maybe in this small moment, I came to understand a little of what just being is – it is acceptance. Acceptance of who you are and what is happening to you at this one moment in time. No judgments, perceptions or criticisms. Maybe in that acceptance of who you are, you find gratitude in just being.
When you’re a twenty something, it’s a period of figuring out everything. But now, more than ever, when our responsibilities and obligations are for many of us, mostly to ourselves, maybe it’s a good time to learn how to just be.
Have goals, have dreams and aspire for a good future. These are all good things. But if we abuse our time by thinking about the future mostly and forget to be in the moment, we may find, like the quote above says, that we have spent our lives doing a lot of thinking and worrying, but never truly living. And that above all, might be the worst thing to realize when you consider how short life truly is.
So, today, right now, in this moment in time, I encourage you to just “be.” 
