When is the last time you were in a parade?  Like actually in the parade itself?  Marching down the street smiling and waving at the crowds along the route as you enjoy the music of the marching band…

For me it was today as I drove the homecoming royalty (which included my daughter) in the back of my convertible down the parade route at the high school.  As I slowly drove around the track I thought to myself “Life needs to be more like a big parade!”

You see when you are in a parade like that it is impossible not to be totally present in the moment.  Not just physically present, but mentally as well.  You are focused on your surroundings, enjoying the view and smiling and taking in the faces of those around you.  You are fully present in the moment to totally appreciate it in every aspect.

So often in life we are physically present for things but our minds are racing a million other places and worrying about a million other things – we end up mentally somewhere completely different then our physical body is at any given moment.  It’s like we are constantly disconnected from ourselves.  When we allow that to happen we literally miss the actual moments we are living in because we were mentally somewhere else.

That is why I have decided we each need to live in our very own parade.  We need to walk through each day as if it is our parade route, smiling and waving to those faces we pass by.  We need to be present, both physically present and mentally present.  We need to focus on each moment and appreciate each step along our own parade route.  We need to hear the music of the marching band in the air and have that spring in our step as we walk along the route.  We need to enjoy each segment of our life parade.  Laugh.  Smile.  Wave to everyone (wrist, wrist, elbow, elbow – you gotta do the proper parade wave!).  Skip along. Dance at times. March to the beat of the drum.  Throw candy to the crowd.  Make them happy.  Be happy yourself.  Don’t worry about what’s ahead in your parade route – know that it’s just more excited people waiting for you to pass by them so there is no need to be concerned, just focus on what’s around you in that moment!  This is your BIG PARADE!  ENJOY IT!

Have a great weekend everyone!  And go live in your parade!!!
~Amy