Part 1
Living in the moment.
See the world through the eyes of a kitten and you get the perfect lesson of how to live in the moment.
The world is full of exciting new things to explore. Everything is a potential play thing. Every sense is heightened as you go moment by moment through the day.
Here is a taste of the world according to Leo:
Leo was loathe to get up this morning when I went I to the kitchen. He yawned, stretched to his full capacity and then closed his eyes and went back to sleep.
As I opened the cupboard door to get out the food pouches and his dishes he went from completely relaxed and flat out to fully alert, he bounced out of bed and was sitting ready for breakfast with his tail neatly wrapped around his feet before I had the pouch open.
Breakfast hoovered up he was off, out of the kitchen, to explore. Every nook and crannie was examined, each item sniffed, patted, some chewed before bouncing on to the next.
Periodically the exploration process was suspended while he attacked his scratching post, climbed onto the top and dived off to catch the ribbons which are attached to it with string.
How often are you distracted by worrying about all those other things on you “To Do” list, or thinking about the past and wishing you had done things differently? Focusing too much on the past or what might or should happen in the future detracts hugely from enjoying the here and now.
Leo has no such problem. His attention is fully on the now. He uses every fibre of his being to grab life and enjoy it.
If you find yourself harping on about the past a useful strategy is to journal the events and how it made you feel.
Consider what lesson you have learned from the experience
Ask yourself – where is the gift?
Give yourself permission to let it go
Create a ceremony around letting the past go. Burn what you have written in your journal, tear it into tiny pieces and bury it in the garden or sprinkle it in the sea. You don’t actually have to do any of these physically, it works if you do it in your mind’s eye. It’s your choice.
Part 2 Living In The Moment
Leo’s attention was then taken up with a paper sack I’d left on the floor. He stalked it carefully, bottom stuck up in the air as he edged his way towards this strange brown thing he’d never encountered before.  The hairs on his back were up, tail twice the normal size he rushed in for the attack.  He pounced and as he pounced the bag made a loud crackling noise. Leo leapt into the air all four paws spread wide, before landing and rushing to hide under the sideboard.
All was quiet for a few moments until a little face appeared from under the corner of its hidey hole. In inch by inch he manoeuvred himself closer and closer to the bag. A tentative paw uncurled and patted the bag. As the bag rustled Leo jumped back but held his ground. Once again he crawled belly to the ground toward the bag. He drew himself up, and then jumped high into the air before landing squarely in the middle of the bag. He attacked the bag with teeth and all four paws, growling as he did so. Only when he was absolutely convinced that the bag was no threat did he step back. He sat head on one side whilst deciding what to do next.
The opening to the bag presented itself and Leo lay on his side whilst poking a paw inside. Little by little he wriggled forward until he disappeared inside. The next thing I saw was the paper bag apparently moving unaided along the floor as Leo pushed from the inside.
After a few moments quiet in the dark there was a great amount of rustling and crackling as Leo turned himself around and finally shot out of the bag like a rocket.
When tackling something new how much of your approach is affected by things which happened in the past? This can be hugely positive where you bring previous skills,