Be Present

The pendulum swings...

There comes a moment when we break free of the past and the future and declare ourselves as "present." That moment comes as we bemoan the past and its torment, release our wishes and pinings, and begin to recognise what "now" has to offer if we connect with it fully. That moment comes as we embrace the totality of who we are and fully feel the emotion of who we believe ourselves to be. That moment comes as we recognise that the thoughts and feelings we think we are having are simply stories we tell ourselves about ourselves in order to comfort our own fears and help those fears stay alive. That moment comes as we learn to accept who we really are and love that person no matter how we feel about it. That moment comes with every breath and every experience, every love and every loss, every ache and every joy, every grief and every exaltation, every profanity and every prayer. That moment is this moment, and it is happening right now.

Some of us are completely unaware of it while others of us know full well it is on. It is so natural that it is easily missed by anyone not quite in tune with nature or anyone going against their own nature. It is so natural that we are all being it naturally, whether we know it or not. So much energy goes into seeking what we yearn for when we have it right here, right now, and do not even know that we have it. We live like pendulums, swinging to and fro, back and forth, and, when we stop and just be, we then will move at some point to the exact opposite. This is why, if we jump a long way outside our comfort zone, we then end up scurrying back into that zone or self-sabotaging and ending up back in there. This is nature, too. Our brains are physically wired to do exactly this, but most of us are unaware of how we are wired, so we walk around obliviously, blaming ourselves and everything else for our disasters until we learn that it’s natural to be a swinging pendulum. It’s tragic but a bit of a comedy as well, really.

Practice being present for only a few minutes at a time to start off with, and then, as it begins to feel more natural, gently stretch yourself to do it for longer times. If we do something we feel comfortable with, we will grow on our own; we don’t need to be constantly trying to change ourselves or reinventing ourselves to free ourselves from the mountain of fears we have built around ourselves about ourselves. Five minutes here and there being present is better for us than never being present, and, each time we allow ourselves to do it, we strengthen the neural pathways necessary for permanent change. The old adage “practice makes perfect” is neurologically true and sound.

Take a moment today to stop everything, go out in nature somewhere, and breathe. Let go of life as you know it for five full minutes at least and just breathe in nature. In your own backyard, in your own garden, in a local park, at the community garden, at the beach, at the river, on a mountain top, in a cave, on the front lawn, in the bath, gazing at a candle, holding a flower, petting your cat, dog, or reptile, holding your child—it’s all nature. Let go and just be. Come back and share what you find and inspire us all with your magnificence. Namaste and blessings.