SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT MINDFULLY LIVING ONE DAY AT A TIME

Don't spend too much time worrying about the future or regretting the past - focus on mindfully living in the present.

CHOOSING TO BE MINDFULLY PRESENT

When I chose "Mindful" as my Word of the Year for 2026, I realized that it covers lots of different aspects of my life. One of the big ones for me is how to be present in the "now" and to not be re-hashing the past or over-thinking the future.

I'm slowly getting better at living one day at a time. Retirement has helped with that because sometimes I can't even remember what day of the week it is, I just flow along with whatever small commitments I have on the calendar, and let the rest of each day take care of itself. But, I still regularly catch myself thinking too far into the future or dwelling on what's happened in the past, so it's still good to remind myself to live in the present and here's a few quotes that have spoken to me recently...

We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are.
Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes)

If you're always getting ready for the next thing, how will you ever enjoy this thing?
Unknown


Get out of your head and breathe. All your thoughts are not facts. 
Tune into what's happening right now.
Pay attention to your senses and practice being present.
Ash Alves

Take life day by day and be grateful for the little things. Don’t get caught up in what you can’t control. Don't try to force things. Just do your best, accept it, and then adopt a "whatever happens, happens" mindset. Let go and allow the right blessings to flow.
marc and angel

In the hunt for a beautiful tomorrow, don't waste your wonderful today.
Unknown


REMINDERS ARE IMPORTANT

It's so easy for me to let my mind jump into worst-case-scenario mode - I'm really good at that! (I love this video of a family in worst-case-scenario mode - it helps me laugh at myself when I fall into this trap). I tend to look at things and try to prepare myself for every outcome. I also do it in reverse where I look back and wonder how I could have done a particular thing/interaction differently. It's good to think things through and to learn from our miss-steps, and to plan not to fail....but it's not good to let this be the how we spend the majority of our time.

I really don't want to waste today while I worry about yesterday or tomorrow. I saw this a while back from Ali Davies:

what advice would your 100 year old self give you?

I think my 100 year old self (who will be rocking old age!) would tell me to be absolutely grateful for how well my life has turned out, and to enjoy every day for what it is - the good, the not-so-good, and the boringly ordinary. Every day is a gift - and every day I get to not have to go to work, and to be home or out and about doing life on my own terms, is a gift wrapped in sparkly paper and tied with a bow....and each day I get to unwrap it and live out. 

Being present in the here and now, delighting in every little joy that appears along the way, and trusting myself to navigate any bumps in the road - that's what being mindfully present looks like to me. These really are the good days, and I'm so blessed to be living them.

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

Are you remembering to live in the here and now? Or are you prone to deviating into rumination or churning? It's so refreshing to be able to notice when that happens and to pull back into the moment - leaving all those stresses behind and just resting in what these 24 hours have in store for us.

RELATED POSTS



BEFORE YOU GO:

If you'd like to know when I write a new post, please click HERE for email updates.
If you'd like to comment but not here on the blog, feel free to email me at
 leanne.crestingthehill@gmail.com - I'd love to hear from you.
And please share this post by clicking on a share button before you go.
Cresting the Hill - a blog for Midlife (Middle Aged / 50+) women who want to thrive
Posted by at
Labels: , ,

5 comments

  1. Pradeep Nair2 February 2026 at 09:30

    Hi Leanne - It is so important to be living in the present. Good to learn from yesterday and hope for tomorrow, but one should never forget to live for today.
    Now that I am retired, and leading a relaxed pace of daily routine, I am consciously focusing on the present. It's very relaxing and calming.
    I am also trying to give up my quest for perfection. If I wanted to do something and I couldn't do it; I tell myself, it's fine; there is not need to ruminate over that. After all, none of us are perfect and not everything is always in our control.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2 February 2026 at 11:55

      Great perspective. Thank you.

      Delete
    2. Leanne2 February 2026 at 15:00

      Hi Pradeep - perfectionism was always a killer for me until I figured out that doing my best was good enough. Retirement has freed me up from a lot of worrying and also from over-thinking all the work stuff. I don't miss being responsible for other people - I like being autonomous and leaving all that in the past.

      Delete
  2. Deb's World2 February 2026 at 13:34

    A good way of looking at the what advice would you give you younger self but turn it to the 100 year old. My advice would be similar to what you've replied Leanne :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Leanne2 February 2026 at 15:02

      Hi Deb - I think we're rocking this second half of life - it might not have begun as we'd have expected it to, but we're figuring it out and making the most of all the time and freedom that we've been blessed with. I think our 100 year old selves would high five us :) x

      Delete

Thanks so much for your comment - it's where the connection begins.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)