How do you stay engaged in your personal life? How do you remain present in the present moment?
Over the holidays, I overheard a fellow mom say that the reason she doesn’t take many pictures or videos of her kids is because she tries to live in the moment. Not hearing the conversation that led up to her statement, I wasn’t sure if the emotion behind her words came from a place of insecurity—especially because I was doing the complete opposite. In that moment, I was on the living room floor snapping pictures of my kids. I was capturing a moment I didn’t want to forget. I was crafting a memory I wanted to hold on to.
I thought to myself, but this is how I experience my life. I want to see, feel, and experience every moment I get with my two children. By taking photos and videos, I actually become more involved in the present moment because it forces me to literally get in focus—to look and listen.
For me, experiencing life and being present means being an active participant. I don’t stand on the sidelines and hope everything works out. I’m an active player on the team. I contribute. I pass the ball. I help bring the team home victoriously because I played a role in reaching the goal.
I don’t believe there is necessarily a better way to stay engaged, but I do believe that being present means seeing the moment without distractions—both external and internal. For me, internal distractions are the harder ones. Thoughts creep in and pull me away, and I have to actively refocus myself to stay involved. But what if the present moment isn’t that attention-grabbing? Believe me, it gets harder.
I’ll be honest—not everything my kids want to do interests me. I could easily zone out while they experience life, and in the past, I have. But through experience, I’ve learned that I don’t want to live my life zoned out. I want to live fully and completely in the present, because the present is all I can truly experience. It’s what’s shaping me into the person I’ll be tomorrow.
By getting down to eye level with my kids and taking a photo or video here and there, I actively force myself to see what they are seeing. I force myself to see things from their perspective. And by doing that, I find a new sense of excitement and engagement in the activity. I want to see life through their eyes.
When Ruby, my second daughter, arrived, we began repeating many of the same things we did with her older brother—story time, books, songs, parks, and kid-focused places. Having done these things so many times, I found myself uninterested. In other words, I was bored. Recognizing that, I reminded myself that this was her first time experiencing all of it. What was old to me was brand new to her.
I told myself, “See it with fresh eyes.” Instead of focusing on my experience, I shifted my attention to hers. I wanted to see her joy through her eyes. I began snapping photos of her reactions. I began recording her experiences. And you know what happened? I fell in love with the memories we were making. I found joy in something that had once felt old. I saw it with fresh eyes.
As we close out 2025, ask yourself these questions:
How do you stay engaged in your personal life?
How do you remain present in the present moment?
In this new year, let’s focus on living right where we are. Stay focused. Remain engaged. And don’t let the moments pass without you playing a role in them.
One thing that helps me stay engaged with my kids is doing hands-on activities together. A great resource we love is COSI’s Learning Lunchbox. It offers engaging STEAM activities that wow not only your kids—but you, too. Today, we explored rockets and the powerful force they create, turning curiosity into shared excitement and learning side by side.
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