Present

I was sitting by the river when it came to me in a flash.  It was that moment of rest where I was just soaking everything in.  I wasn’t really doing much except reading when I knew that my word for 2015 was present.  It’s hard to explain but I just knew.  This word can have a few different meanings but I was taking it as the act of being fully where you are.

You know what?  Being present is hard work in this day and age.  I don’t know about you but there is always a lot on my mind.  It’s hard to focus on one thing.  Even as I’m writing this it’s taking everything in me not to think about my to-do list and the craziness of yesterday and and and…  Distractions abound in our lives.  We’ve come to believe that if you’re not multitasking you’re doing it all wrong.  But what if we were never really meant to multitask?  Did you know that the word multitask was originally used in reference to computers/machines?  It wasn’t until around the 1990’s that it became an adjective to describe humans.  Mind blowing right?

Really it should be surprisingly simple, this act of being present, yet I often find it’s not.  Being present usually means doing less because you’re just focusing on what’s at hand.  Being present means fully embracing the moment.  We’re missing out if our brains are in more places at once than our bodies are.  Recently I received an email and there was a phrase that stood out.  “Be where your feet are.”  Simple but profound.

Are we really here?  Are we embracing these moments?  How often is my mind a million miles away even while my body is sitting there staring at someone hearing the words coming out of their mouths but not actually listening? Ouch.  Today my four year old nephew was over and I was physically sitting there watching him eat his lunch but I was totally distracted by “all the other things”.  Thankfully I had a wake up moment and realized I needed to just focus in.  When I did it was so beautiful.

I saw my nephew’s smattering of cute freckles and laughed as he tried to eat a dried mango.  I saw his long lashes and bright clear eyes and I saw that smile of his that melts me.  I was all there.  I was all there when he picked me to be on his team for the game.  I was all there and I hope he felt loved.

So maybe my word for 2015 was present but what I’ve learned is that it’s a life long word.  It’s a lifetime practice this act of being present.  When I am present I get the joy of having the sweet gift it gives of soaking up this time and not having a discombobulated existence.  Friends I hope you keep your head where your body is.