This post inspired by Alan Alda from his book Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself

It is not the destination the matters but the journey, the looking, the search. The investigation, the activity of looking is where meaning lives. It is what we do everyday in moments of ordinariness. This is where we can rescue our humanity. This is not something extraordinary or magical, is here and now, available in the present moment. 

A bell and stand I made a while ago.
I have materials to make a couple of more.

This will end up with a bit of self analysis but I feel the exercise is worthwhile. 

Note to self -- Practice being present. Give up searching, sense-making, measuring, troubles. Notice the breath, its constancy, its flavor, the pressure, the coolness as it flow in then out. It does its job without any direction from the conscious me. It is supportive of my life. Relax into the ever present moment of now. 

How often am I alive in the moment like this? Honestly typically much less than 1% of my waking life. And I feel that this is that most important thing for leading a happy, virtuous life. I'm strongly incongruent with my own vision of a happy, virtuous life. What would it be like if was to do this even 1% of my waking life? What would it be like if was to do this 5% of my waking life? What would it be like if was to do this 10% of my waking life?  

• 1440 total minutes in a day
• 480 spent sleeping
• 960 minutes awake
• 1% present moment living = 9.6 minutes
• 5% present moment living = 48 minutes
• 10% present moment living = 96 minutes

I have to say that even when I meditate for 25 minutes in the morning, there is really only a minute or three that I’m alive in the present moment. The rest of the time I’m failing or partially succeeding in taming the elephant that is my mind. Work to do! Practice and try, try, try.