Living for Today

The picture above is Lake Malawi off the beach of Senga Bay.

Living in Malawi for close to 3 months has taught me to spend less time focusing on the past and the future, and spend more time focusing on living for today. That today is the day the Lord has so graciously given us, and that we should take those words literally, and live with gratitude for the present to represent it. Sometimes it’s easy to live in our past experiences, but what does that do for us? Usually it makes us want something we can no longer have. And I can tell you what it doesn’t do; it doesn’t allow us to focus on today. Or maybe it’s the future you are worrying about; always focusing on what’s coming next. Thinking/questioning/worrying about the future is something I do way too often, but as I have realized here, this only prevents me from soaking up what is happening in the now. Everyday is special in the lives we have been given here on earth. Life is here now, so let’s make now the priority.

Living in the now is something Malawians do without thinking. Mainly because it is many families only choice; to live only by the Grace of God, and what His plan is for them. They do not dwell in the past, and they do not spend time worrying about what will happen in their future. Instead they trust God to provide, as He said He would do so many times throughout scripture.

In the United States there are times where we think about what we are going to cook for dinner on Thursday, on Tuesday. Maybe because Tuesday is when we do our grocery shopping for the week. Maybe because we are going out with friends on Thursday so we need to make plans on Tuesday. Either way, we do it, and it isn’t necessarily a bad thing; it’s called planning ahead. However, the majority of people in Malawi don’t have this privilege, or the choice to think about specifically what they will be eating on Thursday, on Tuesday. Many villagers eat meal-by-meal. With what they have, or making the decision by what they can afford. This forces them to live and focus on the present, because the present is what they have now, and what they can be sure of. This has brought meaning to the concept of being grateful for each moment of everyday.

***Some addition information about food in Malawi; a side note: What Malawians eat is usually the same thing every meal, or relatively the same thing. It definitely includes nsima (corn flour stirred in with boiling water to make a consistency of mashed potatoes…don’t be fooled it doesn’t taste like mashed potatoes; it tastes like nothing). Nsima is the way of life here. Maze is cheap, and when made into nsima is filling. Along with nsima as the staple, there is also usually ndiwo (relish) if the family can afford it. This is usually some sort of green leaf that is cooked with onions and tomatoes, maybe groundnuts. The greens add something a little more nutritional so this is good. Sometimes the family can afford meat, but not the majority, so protein is often lacking. This lack in the variety of the food eaten here is a reason malnutrition is huge in Malawi, and therefore is why it is one of the main projects in our framework as health volunteers.

Eating meal by meal is only one example of how Malawians live in the present. When thinking about people literally living hour-to-hour I have realized that integrating into my village in Chipoka has allowed me to experience first hand what living day-by-day, or truly in the present means, and how it feels to be grateful for each day we are given on earth. Life, and each day we are alive, is seen as a privilege here, and I think we, as people who live a fast-paced life in the United States, can learn from this.

As another example: people get sick (maybe with Malaria), and because they can’t get to the health clinic fast enough, they can’t pay for the transport to get to the clinic, or the clinic has run out of medication, they die. Just like that. And it’s seen as just a part of everyday life. Malawians live and appreciate the moments of the present because situations like this example allow them to understand how precious each moment of our life is. They don’t have time to live in the past, or the future, or to take life for granted…and either do we. We should spend our days being thankful for today, with our minds focused and observing what is happening around us. We are missing precious moments when we are caught up with the past or the future or the busyness of our lives. I hope that this makes you realize how blessed we are to be living today.

It’s been a wake up call for me to live surrounded by people who truly live a day-to-day lifestyle, focused in the present, to the fullest each day, and by the Grace of God. It’s helped me to spend more of each day in prayer. Thanking God for His goodness, and lessons He is teaching me with each moment of the day. It’s allowed me to understand that we should do what you want to do “right now,” instead of waiting for the right time, “in the future.” We should pay attention to our surroundings, and stop and look at the beautiful creation God took six days to make, instead of rushing to the next thing on our agenda. That maybe we should say hello and smile to people who pass us on the sidewalk (or dirt road if you live in Chipoka like me), because this can make a huge difference to someone who may be having a bad day. That you should burn the candle that you got for Christmas instead of waiting for that “special occasion” that you think is soon to come. After all, everyday is a special occasion. It’s our life. And because of Jesus, it is a gift. It is meant to be lived…in the present, not the past, and not the future, but today.

#peacecorps