I don’t want to miss this moment. I’m so terrified of my propensity to hustle along, ever busy, ever rushed, ever weary, ever worn. My feet carry me to and fro, ensuring that I keep up with the ticking clock. Yet as my feet carry me from one obligation to the next, where is my heart? Where is my appreciation, my joy?

Sometimes it feels as if my heart lags behind my feet. How is it that I cannot synchronize my feet to beat to the rhythm of my heart? Cannot they work in unison? Cannot my heart appreciate the moment I am in without being dragged around, caught in the past or buried behind layers of commitments?

This is no way to live, distracted, frenzied, and ungrateful. So quickly the day turns to night, so quickly the days pass into weeks, weeks pass into months and months become years. And years become a lifetime. I do not wish to persist in this way, only toiling and grinding out each day. Where is the joy? The wonder? The appreciation for this exact moment in life? Is not every moment a gift, indeed a blessing?

I can feel my lungs expand and deflate, the wind blowing through my hair, the laugh of my best friend. This moment is mine. Oh God, don’t let me blow through these precious moments, allowing the present to fall behind me without savoring it first. I won’t have this time right now for more than a fraction before it joins the collection of countless former moments.

This time in my life is not forever. This season will inevitably change. Looking back, I can see myself at so many different stages that once felt infinite. If only I had appreciated that unique moment in life more, I often find myself saying—forgetting in the meanwhile to appreciate the moment I am currently in. All stages of life are gifts. As long as the Lord walks with us, every day is a good day, every day is the best day because He is with us.

Life chugs along and we cannot slow its incessant march but we can slow down. We can inhale deeply and choose gratitude. We can choose to remember the sacredness of life, as a gift of God. We can realign our thoughts so that even when our feet take us all over, our heart remains firmly planted in the moment. Grounded.

I do not want to drown out the beauty of each day. I will not allow my business to distract me from the joy of today. I will not allow my gratitude to God to be stifled by a stifling schedule. I choose to see the preciousness of this particular time in life. I choose to be grateful, appreciative of this season, this precise moment, this life.

It is beautiful.