What is the moment? Life is available only in the present moment. If you abandon the present moment you cannot live the moments of your daily life deeply.

~Thich Nhat Hanh

Now

But what happens when you know the present moment is changing and every fiber in your being wants that change? What happens when that knowing is against the grain, resting somewhere on the leading edge, holding steady contrary to cultural beliefs?

Change happens….

The present moment is all we have. It’s all we ever have. And experiencing inspiration within the moment is one thing. Following that inspiration is quite another thing. And this is what I experienced in waves leading up to our departure.

It was a deep inspiration.

It was a deep desire.

It was also a deep knowing that I could only surrender to.

Wayne Dyer said “Avoiding the present moment is almost a disease in our culture, and we are continually being conditioned to sacrifice the present for the future. Carried to its logical conclusion, this attitude is not merely the avoidance of enjoyment in the now, but an evasion of happiness forever.

I had been a student of Eckhart Tolle for many years. I had also studied the works and applied the philosophies of many teachers along the way. For me it was a great journey to surrender to the inspiration, relax into the present and trust  moment.  When did that happen? It has occurred every single day of my life. However, the gradual changes occurred when I consciously started to listen to the faint voices from within. Little by little I opened up to listening. Gradually, I entertained the ideas. Finally I became present. There, naked stood vision.

Once I made peace with not caring what others thought, life became lighter. Once I listened to the inspiration, life became clearer. Once I took actions to follow my vision, life became free and easy.

And off we went…

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” — Buddha

Why did Miro and I leave the states to experience the world? Well, I could intellectualized the answer and come up with some pretty persuasive arguments and promises. In fact, I’ve written about these ideas before. But what I really wanted to address here that there is a correlation between living in the moment and being inspired to do so. We all have the inspiration to live in the moment and there is no single moment that points to this inspiration. Life is solely about being in the moment.

The only advice I can give to another who maybe interested embarking on a lifestyle outside of the norm is, don’t bother with intellectualizing it.  Remain inspired. Let the reasons melt away. Surrender to the moment. Remember, life is meant to be delicious.

Incidentally, research shows the many physical benefits of learning to be in the moment—from lower blood pressure to reduced levels of stress and anxiety. But the spiritual benefits, explored by modern teachers such as Eckhart Tolle, Ram Dass, Byron Katie (I love ‘The Work’!), Ester & Jerry Hicks & the words of Abraham, and Wayne Dyer. (and many, many more…..)

Interested in what other traveling families say about their moment of ‘zen’? Read more here:

Living Outside of the Box – The Moments that Added Up

Mary Bohemian Mom – The First Moment

Worldschool Adventures – The Moment of Inspiration In Hoi An Vietnam

Livin On The Road – Whose Idea Was It?

Tripping Mom – The moment I decided to live abroad for one year, just me and my child

The Great Family Escape – Capturing The Moment

Family on Bikes – One moment in time: A lifetime of adventures

Family Trek-  The moment we knew we were made for more