BE present. We’ve all heard it. It’s one of the best pieces of wisdom and one of the hardest to live. The present moment — where opportunities lie, the whispers of intuition speak and unforgettable moments of love, joy, connection and understanding happen. In other words the gifts of Life.
To be honest I hadn’t closely examined how I allotted my time between past, present and future until the red shoes came into my life. In fact if asked, I would likely have said without hesitation, I lived my life almost exclusively in the present. Then the red shoes arrived, they so clearly catapulted me into the present, rewarding me with consistently deep and thought provoking experiences it soon became apparent this was a new and exciting place. Funny how the messenger comes in forms we least expect.
Being present awards us a life saturated with meaning.
So why is it so darn hard to stay anchored there?
Even if I start the day with the intention to stay present my sneaky, mischievous mind races forward to anticipate, plan, fix or solve or lapses back to relive, rehash or resolve. Some days are just a wash out as far as being present goes while others feel rooted. The rooted days (of course) are amazing I feel deeply connected to all things and I am rewarded with experiences that seem to touch the soul. Is there a common aspect to the rooted days…..something more than a pair of red shoes?
This warrants investigation. I explore.
What makes it easier to be present on certain days I ask myself? Well….the easy answer is conditions, it’s easier to be present on a perfect beach day, on vacation, after a massage or when I’m with friends and loved ones. But what about those other days how to be present in a storm, after a bad meeting, stuck in traffic or when conditions aren’t smiling upon me?
The common thing I found is…….meditation…which is still a fairly new (and oh so welcome) practice in my life. I used to think I didn’t have had time for mediation. I mean why meditate when I could be busy doing something?? The funny thing is that whatever the something-I-was-busy-doing was it was almost always in the past or future. Thank goodness one day I was present enough to be guided to where I needed to be and meditation finally, and after, many false starts took hold. When we’re present we are presented with just what we need at just the right time. If you are working to build a meditation practice into your life here’s 8 great tips from the master Deepak Chopra.
reACTION [to change in the response to stimulus]: BE PRESENT INSTANTLY
If you are a time pressed meditator here are a couple you can do in minutes from the author of Secrets of Meditation Davidji. I tried them and they feel great!
BE present instantly #1 – From a standing or sitting position reach hands to sky – take a long slow deep breath in – feel it filling your lungs – hold it-slowly release
BE present instantly #2 – From a standing or sitting position take a long slow breath in and sigh on the out breath.
Another thought … (see above) I’m taking an intention and more than just thinking about it, I’m creating a tangible doodle…it infuses the intention with life and then serves as a reminder when I post it on the wall of my office.
To Ponder
“BE present in all things and thankful for all things.” Maya Angelou
“Realize deeply the present moment is all you have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.” Eckhart Tolle
beautifully said Cheryl