For my birthday, my grandma got me a Buddah Board. WE and I first saw one at the Japanese-American B&B we stayed at in Connecticut and I determined then that I wanted one for my own. I was fascinated by how perfectly this board portrays the concept of living in the moment. It ‘magically’ evaporates leaving a clean slate moments later to be lived again.

I also love the parallel idea that words of kindness like ‘I love you’ and ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’ have a ‘best if used by’ expiration date and last only for the moment. These are words that should consistently be shared and re-lived over and over and over again rather than assuming that your spouse will remember when you said that yesterday or last week or last year.

My college roomie just wrote a blog about her hubby’s juvenescence – it was exactly what I was thinking of when I consider the benefits of the zen concept.

If you are like me and wonder how to better live in the moment, here are a few ‘starters’ for the week (one for each day):

1. Take notice of the world around you

2. Focus on whatever it is you are doing

3. Smile when you wake up

4. Commit random, spontaneous acts of kindness

5. Minimize activities that dull your awareness of the moment

6. Be thankful for what is

7. Forgive