Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
New Visions
On being in the moment—with a little help from The Three Stooges.

On being in the moment—with a little help from The Three Stooges.

Last updated on: November 12, 2015 at 10:37 am by Tom Rapsas

On being in the moment—with a little help from The Three Stooges. 2015-11-12T10:37:42-07:00 Tom Rapsas

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The Three Stooges, via Wikimedia Commons

Larry: “I can’t see! I can’t see!”

Moe: “What’s the matter?”

Larry: “I got my eyes closed!”

~The Three Stooges

Funny how inspiration can come to you from the strangest places. When I watched a few minutes of the Three Stooges and heard the dialog above, it got me thinking: How often do we go about our own daily lives with blinders on, oblivious to the small but important things that are happening all around us?

Unlike Larry, our eyes are open—but due to the frenetic pace of our lives, we sometimes fail to be totally in the moment. We look at our surroundings, but don’t take in the full picture. We hear someone speak, but don’t listen to all they have to say. We have the chance to compliment or thank someone, but don’t take the initiative to act.

But the truth is, we intuitively know that when we go through our daily lives alert and aware to each moment, our world becomes a better place. We begin to appreciate the small wonders and pleasures that life has to offer—the taste of that first cup of coffee, the sound of bird chirping to greet a new day, the smile of a child or a passing stranger. And we can do more than just be a better observer of life. We can also become a more active participant.

I named this column Wake Up Call with the intent of waking people up from the stupor we can sometimes fall into—myself included. So I’m always looking for fresh ways we can more consistently engage and connect with those around us. It’s what’s what life is all about. (By example, see this piece on the merry prankster Bill Murray, who engages with others not just for their benefit, but his own as well.)

With this in mind, I just read some down-to-earth life advice that really resonated. It came from the blog of a young expat American named Ali who writes about her overseas adventures in Amsterdam & Beyond. For the most part, it’s a travelogue on her frequent trips around Europe, but now and then she chronicles her personal life and offers indispensable advice.

She just put out a piece called “Twenty-Eight Tidbits of Wisdom” to mark her 28th birthday—and I think it’s pretty brilliant. Some of the advice is specific to single woman in their 20s or 30s, but she also shares what I would call universal wisdom about living in the moment. Here are my favorite bits, very lightly edited:

Stop looking at those dates marked far off in your calendar. Stop counting down to warm weather or the next big celebration. Heck, forget what you’re doing tomorrow. Life comes and goes at an alarming velocity. Savor every second, and focus on moments, not time.
Spend less time wondering about who exactly you are and just do what makes you happy. You don’t need a label. Follow the colors you love, the melody ringing in your head. Eat the food you like and be with the people you love. This is who you are. Live it.
Ask more questions. And genuinely listen to the answers.
Stop consuming and start creating. Paint a birdhouse. Start a collection. Write. Take photographs. Bake cookies. Volunteer. Stop staring at a screen and do something tangible with your time.
Live with intention. Find meaning in everything you do.
Every day, make time to stop running, breathe, and be still. Life will be still too. Enjoy this moment of quiet and take a mental picture. It will keep you sane.
Be curious, wander, and explore without a destination in mind. I guarantee you will find the most magical things.
If you need more love, give more love. Bake a friend cookies. Pay for a stranger’s latte. Send a postcard home. The same goes for money, time, friendship, and trust. If there’s something lacking in your life, give it. It will be returned to you tenfold.
Live as much as possible. Wake up at 6am to explore a new city. Watch the sunrise. Stay out way too late. Life only happens once.

Thanks, Ali! (And thank you Larry and the Stooges for getting the ball rolling.)

Previous Post

October 31, 2015

Spooky Spirituality: Snakes, Aliens and other Freaky Encounters.

Next Post

November 22, 2015 How to put more happy in your Thanksgiving—with gratitude.

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 50+ Spirituality 60 Second Inspiration Activism Adversity Afterlife agape aging Aliens Angels Angels and aliens anger animism Astrology Atheists Attention Attitude Authenticity Awareness Awe Ayahuasca Balance Beginnings Being Present Belief Bhagavad Gita Bible birth of Jesus Blessings Bliss Bono Breathing Buddha Buddhism Calling cats Centered Centering Prayer Chakras Change Character Character and Aging Christ consciousness Christianity Christmas Church Civility commencement speeches commitments compassion Connecting with God Consciousness Contemplation Contemplative Prayer Contentment Conversations with God Coping Coping mechanisms Corinthians Coronavirus Covid creativity Daily practice Dalai Lama David Brooks David Frenette Death Deathbed visions Decisions determinism Discernment disconnecting Donald Shimoda Dreaming of the Dead dreams Drinking Easter Eastern religion Eckhart Tolle ego Elders Emerson Engagement Enlightenment everyday magic Evil Spirits Expectations experience Faith fate Fatima Fear Feel Finding God Fitness Fulfillment Gandhi Gary Zukav Generosity Giving Gnostic gospels Gnostics God God's will Golden Rule Good & Evil Gospel of Thomas Gospels Grace Gratitude Grief Growing Older Guardian Angels gumption Gurus Halloween Happiness health health and happiness Heaven Helping others High Strangeness Hinduism Holiday Season honesty Honor Hope Humility impostor syndrome inner music Inner Work Insights insomnia Inspiration Inspirational intuition Investing Jeff Bridges Jesus Jesus Christ John Templeton joy joy of life Justin Bieber Kaballah Kabbalah Karma Kindness koans Law of Attraction Life Life after Death Life and death Life Balance Life Hacks Life Lessons Life Path Life Philosophy Life Plan life purpose Life Rules Life Tips Life's Big Questions Lindsay Lohan Listening Living Intentionally Loneliness Love Magic Mark Twain Marriage Meaning of Life Meditation mentor Mentors Mid-Life Crisis Mindful Mindfulness Money Monks Multiverse Mysterious World mystical experience Mysticism Mystics Mythology Napoleon Hill Near Death Experience (NDE) New Thought New Year New Year's resolutions Noise Oprah out-of-body experience Parables Peace of mind philosophy Plant Intelligence Pope Francis Positive Thinking Prayer prayers for the spiritual Preachers Premonitions presence Prophecies Prophecy Prophets Psalms Purpose Purpose of Life quietude Quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson Ralph Waldo Trine Reconnect Recovery reincarnation Relaxation Religion resolutions Resurrection Ritual Rituals Rules to Live By sadness Sam Harris Sandy Second Act Seeking self Self Mastery self-help self-improvement Seneca sermon sex shamans Sickness Silence Silence of God sleep small voice Smiling Social Activism solitude Soul Soul and Spirit Soul Awakening Spiritual Awakening spiritual beliefs spiritual guidance spiritual journey spiritual living spiritual path Spiritual philosophy Spiritual Practice Spirituality Spirituality and work Spooky Spirituality Stillness stoicism stoics Storytelling Stress Relief Success Suffering Suicide Surrender tao Thanks Thanksgiving the afterlife the bardo the Bible the Blues The Election the Kingdom the secret the self The Soul Thomas Keating Thomas Merton Thomas Moore Time Tony Robbins tradition UFOs Uncategorized Universe Values visualization Voice of God Wake Up Call Wake Up Call book Walls Walt Whitman Well-being Winter Blues Wisdom words to live by Work work/life balance worry Yogananda Zen

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 July 2012 April 2012 March 2012 January 2012 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 December 2009 November 2009

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Jonathan was David's best friend and King Saul's son.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE

Books by This Author Books by Wake Up Call

See All Titles »