Presence

Have you ever heard the flap of a bird’s wings as it flew overhead. I did. The other day while at conference my husband, Neil, and I, were walking to lunch just when I heard this almost imperceptible sound and as I looked up it was a bird already in flight just above our heads.

It made me stop to realize how present I was in that moment to life all around me and ask myself what I miss when I am not present. A day later as we were driving to lunch, I saw the full moon flirting with me from behind the clouds. Yes, flirting, at least it felt that way. There was this quiet soft voice telling me to look up, look around, and take in life. I accepted this invitation.

Being present sounds so new age-y but if you can let go of your judgment about how it sounds and lend yourself to the practice, you will soon begin to identify within yourself a vast beautiful source of grounding and peace.

One of my three sons is a fairly animated human, sometimes loud, often agitated and living in my home, so his excitedness and energy often fill my house with some chaos. But this is what I have learned in the time he has been there. When I stop, take time to get present to him when he is talking to me instead of trying to avoid the chaos, our communication is clearer, and he relaxes. Yes, that is one of the beautiful things about being present and listening with your whole heart to someone, they feel heard. And, when someone feels heard they can relax and not need to drive all over you energetically.

What this means is that being present, while being a gift to yourself, is a gift to those around you.  Presence allows you to bask in the sweet primordial ooze of love. This is the way I see this – just like a child who is always saying: “Watch me mommy, watch me,” being present and offering your undivided attention is synonymous with love.

The other day as I was hugging someone, I asked them – were your eyes open or closed just now. They admitted to their eyes being open. When I hug, I close my eyes because that allows me to be fully present to the one I am hugging. If you catch me hugging with my eyes open, that is a signal that I am hugging with a sense of obligation. My preference is to hug only when I can be present, and what I know to be true, through experience, is that being present without physical connection can often have the same impact, carry the same value.

Give yourself the gift of presence – you deserve it.