Have you ever been enlightened by an apple pie?

Visitors to this year's Marlborough Summer School, joined course number 207: Be Careful What You Wish For. The course always promises to be as insightful for me as the facilitator as for those attending and this year was no exception. Having shared a journey from acknowledging that we have a past (including the fact that some clutter inevitably builds up) through to understanding the present and why we are where we are; we then explored our options for the future. For one Parisien mother of four, the options for herself and her family in the years to come were already clear. She spends much of her time organising and planning ahead to secure a smooth future for herself and her family. But what about the present? What about today? If today's future will one day be our present, do we have room to appreciate what we have already worked hard to achieve? For our efficient, hard-working and clutter free Parisien mother, this was a powerful realisation, as she came to terms with the challenge of 'being in the moment' to appreciate the present. Planning for the future doubtless has its rewards. In this instance though, the price being paid suddenly apeared to be too high and what was left was an appreciation of the present. 'The past is history, the future is a mystery and today is a gift which is why its called the present' At lunchtime, we gathered in the marquee to hear our Parisien mum 'Sing for Fun' with a group from another course, which she had also attended during the week. Her beaming smile was evident. She was 'in the moment' singing for her life and all it had bought her. On my return home from Marlborough, I wasn't sure what to expect, having left my husband in the care of our two children for the week. As I walked in, I heard the cricket on the radio and then saw the three of them making apple pie. Our eldest son was rolling out the pastry while the youngest sorted the 'goodies' from the 'baddies' amongst the apples, cores and peelings, picked earlier from the garden. For once I was thankful that my husband lives in the present, even if it does mean I have to organise everything beyond lunchtime on any given day. I don't know who won the cricket but the apple pie was delicious.