Food for thought A delicious treat
INDULGING IN THE PAST OR OVER THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE HAS LITTLE VALUE IN LIFE. CONSCIOUS THOUGHT ABOUT THE PRESENT DIRECTS OUR LIVES TOWARDS A PROGRESSIVE FUTURE.
The former First lady of America, Michelle Obama, is credited for drawing much needed attention to healthy eating habits. Taking it a notch further, she will be launching a new children’s food show, Waffles + Mochi. The former FLOTUS will be hosting the show with two puppets — Waffles and Mochi. She wrote on Instagram, “It’s all about good food: discovering it, cooking it, and of course, eating it. These two will take us on adventures all around the world to explore new ingredients and try out new recipes.”
A new food trend to hit us is ‘Little Moons’. Derived from an old
Japanese dessert, these are round balls made with ice cream and mochi, a traditional Japanese steamed rice cake. They come in flavours such as chocolate, coconut, mango, green tea, vanilla, pistachio and matcha.
Living in the present, we are engulfed in the flames of the past or in the fear of the future. We make our lives stressful when our minds are cluttered with previous chats, hurtful memories, and anxieties and fears of what’s to come.
Today’s so-called scientific and technical era has given way to desires and wishes that never seem to be satisfied, and so we are always dwelling on the past or the future. As humans we need to control our thoughts and not the other way round, where our mind is led by our thoughts.
NOT LIVING IN THE PRESENT CAN BE A SOURCE OF STRESS
If we analyse our problems and the causes of stress, we will be surprised to find that 90% of our stress is due to over analysing our past or planning about the future. In simple words, it means that we are not worried about the present and the reason for our stress is either a past event or about what is to come.
If we are constantly knocking at the past, it means we are still not able to accept it. Until we accept the incidents in the past, we will not be able to move on. The past is now gone and nothing can be done about it. So fixating on it can prevent us from performing an action in the present, just because we’ve had negative experiences in the past.
The moment we start worrying about our future, we very clearly move away from the present — as we begin to visualise negative experiences of the past and how they will impact our future. And so, we let the mindset that evolved out of them influence our present behaviour.
THE MANY BENEFITS OF LIVING IN THE PRESENT
Living in the present has a striking effect on our emotional quotient and our physical health. We are well aware of the fact that the amount of mental stress we carry has a detrimental impact on our health. It is only when we live in the present that we are living a life in a state of acceptance. It’s only then that we accept life as it is now, not how we wish it could have been. You have to experience the bad to appreciate the good.
Indulging in the past or over thinking about the future has little value in life — it is ever important to live our present to the fullest. Conscious thought about the present aids the decisions we make, which direct our lives towards a progressive future. Yes, we definitely need to take lessons from our past experiences to help us in our future decisions, but it should be done without letting it affect our present.
LIVING IN THE MOMENT IS IMPORTANT TO BE HAPPY
Happiness is not something about which you have to think. You can only experience joy and happiness by feeling it in the present moment. The happiness you receive or experience does not depend on tangibles and wealth, but it depends upon your ability to be grateful for the things you have in life.