Living Alive

When was the last time you felt truly alive? Yes, I’m aware you are currently alive and breathing otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this. However, I’m referring to that recognition that you are fully present, all senses activated, surrounded by joy and completely connected to the moment. You may feel no sense of time or place, a state of complete attention or focus and an energy that you find hard to describe.

As you are living your daily life, how attuned are you to those moments when you feel truly alive and joyful? What are you doing when you feel this way, what works for you?

Do you stop and acknowledge the feeling of being alive, how it feels in your body and how it impacts your well-being?

In a way, I suppose I’m referring to a sense of mindfulness, an awareness of being present and connected to your own joy.

Better still how often do you choose to have these moments of feeling alive in your life?

As you know I’m an open book and love to share thoughts and feelings with those around me, particularly when I write. So, if you are reading this you are probably aware that I have a slight Keith Urban fascination and have spent the last week seeing him perform in Melbourne and Canberra. Believe me I’ve heard it all…” you’re crazy, you’re a stalker, you’re obsessed, you’re mad, you’re a teenager.”

Perhaps there is some truth to these comments but I’ve been reflecting on the connection and why I love it as much as I do.

Yes, he’s easy on the eye, and he makes love to that guitar but it is more than that. When I listen to his music he brings out a sense of freedom and nostalgia in me. I love the lyrics and find they remind you of younger days when life was easier and less complicated with tasks. And of course, like all good country singers he sings of love and heartbreak which speaks to most women I know. It pulls me into the present as I focus on the lyrics, the music, the audience and the energy around me.

It makes me feel alive, it reminds me to feel alive, and I am committed to feeling more of that.

Like you I lead a busy life and there are parts of that life that have to be actioned. Kids need to go to school, house requires attention, family needs to be fed and all the other daily roles that we live. What I notice is when I become less conscious of how I’m living my life, these things take over, and my life becomes a series of tasks or lists to be ticked. No time sends me into list mode more than Christmas. This is the time of year when I need to step back, take time for my soul and remember those things that make me feel alive. Easier said than done at this time of year so it is something I must remain conscious about and purposefully plan.

Swimming, meditation, cooking, walking, laughing with Mark and Charlie at the dinner table and just getting a good sleep are little steps I take to bring me back to centre.

And of course, dancing like no one is watching at a Keith Urban concert. (see below)

There are many ways to feel alive but it is something you must discover for yourself. What works for me may not resonate with you. A good way to recognise what works for you is to think about when time stands still, when you feel in the moment, light and connected.

It could be a good night out with your partner, or a dinner with girlfriends laughing, eating and sharing a glass of wine. Playing in the park with your kids, spending time with your nieces and nephews or simply sitting alone under a tree engrossed in a great book. Eating, singing, walking, running, laughing or having great sex, it doesn’t matter where you find it but I recommend looking for it, seeking it out.

And when you do…stop, breathe and take it in. Too quickly we get caught back up in the day to day and forget that we are spiritual beings having a human experience and we lose sight of what feeds that soul.

What I recognised on Saturday night in the front rows of that concert was how alive, present and conscious I felt.

I’m dedicating 2017 to feeling more of that, to seeking it out. Not just the concerts and Keith, but the commitment to connecting the dots between these moments until they just move through me frequently and rather than just live, I live alive!

Over to you Keith,

"But somewhere in the rush I felt, We're losing ourselves

And days go by, I can feel 'em flyin' Like a hand out the window in the wind. The cars go by, Yeah it's all we've been given, So you better start livin' , better start livin’ right now Days go by"