“C’mon Grandpa. Let’s watch cartoons. Daniel the Tigers on,” my grandson coaxed, patting his tiny three-year old hand on the couch.

“I should go sit with him,” I thought. “But, I have so much to do today—cut the grass, trim the bushes, spread mulch.” Wavering, I plopped down on the couch next to my grandson. We chuckled as Daniel the Tiger and his family frolicked across the television screen.

Daniel was sitting alongside his mother licking a blueberry popsicle. When he realized there were four other flavors in the freezer, Daniel whined, “I want a raspberry one.”

Gently, Daniel’s mother replied, “Daniel, if you’re focused on what you don’t have, you’ll miss the joy of what’s happening now. Instead of complaining, let’s find the wow in the now.”

Her words struck me like a thanks-I-needed-that slap across the face. I caught my anxious self, living in the future, missing the joy of that moment cuddling with my grandson in our pajamas, wrapped in his teddy bear blanket.

“Find the wow in the now,” I repeated to myself.

Soon, my grandson and I were dancing across the living room floor singing Find the Wow in the Now. Our bellies jiggled. My heart lightened. I let go of the day’s chores that no longer seemed so important.

I recalled the wisdom of Lao Tzu:

If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are in the present.

Maybe finding the wow in the now is the how of discovering peace in the present moment. I decided to adopt “finding the wow in the now” as a spiritual practice to ground me in the present moment.

Putting it into action during my morning shower, I turned on the faucet, watched the water flow upon my skin and thought, “Wow. I have clean water to cleanse myself.”

As I lifted the soap with my arm, I realized, “Wow. I have arms that stretch and flex allowing me to bathe myself.”

And as I sat at the breakfast table surrounded by my wife and grandchildren, I pondered, “Wow. I’m surrounded by people I love, and who love me.”  My heart soared with gratitude.

As you move throughout your day, focus your attention on what’s happening now. See if what’s ordinary becomes extraordinary as you find the wow in the now.

—brian j plachta