Have you ever driven from one location to the next and not remember anything about the trip?  Where were you?  You know physically you were in the vehicle going through the proper motions to safely take you to your destination, but where were you mentally?   By not living in the present moment, what have you missed? 

So many of us spend our lives rushing to the next moment or rehashing what we could have done different yesterday that we find ourselves in a state of mind that doesn’t allow us to experience what is happening in the present.  Let me ask you this question.  If wanted to experience peace how would you do it?  Would it be better experienced in the past, present or future?

I spent many years of my life searching for this answer.  I thought if I could find a way to change what I did in the past or be better prepared for what was going to happen tomorrow I could find peace.  I spent so much time looking for ways to find it and began to find that I had less time to experience it.  It took meeting an extraordinary man to allow me to better understand that peace was not something that I had to keep looking and that it was something that was already within me. 

I had an opportunity to meet Dr. Patch Adams on a trip to his home in Virginia while filming a segment for a talk show.  When I met him, I can remember him looking at me.  I felt like he was looking so deep into me that I began to wonder if there was something wrong with me, was I wearing the wrong outfit or did I say something wrong with the initial greeting.  Then, he said to me, “Tell me about yourself” and he smiled.  It was at that moment that my thoughts stopped racing and I looked into his eyes and suddenly felt all the anxiety leave me.  I felt comfortable with myself and could feel that he did not care what I was wearing, what happened before I got there or what was going to happen next.  He was simply allowing me to be myself and experience the present moment. That day I realized that true peace comes from every experience we encounter in each moment in that moment. Patch allowed me to see myself through his eyes by simply “being.”  I was grateful for the experience that was given to me.

The Dali Lama and other great teachers have taught that if one wants to experience peace, they must then become mindful of their thoughts and actions in the present moment.  As this mindfulness becomes part of our daily life, it is easier to be grateful for every experience we have, and we become aware that each person that we meet is a blessing.  Everything and everyone in life plays a part in teaching us something about why we are here.

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