Being Present

One of the things I began to learn how to do a couple weeks ago in the Landmark Forum was to be present. It’s kind of an awareness of the here and now, an awareness of those around you. Ever gotten in your car and driven somewhere that you go regulary (like work) and then got there and thought “how did I get here? I have no recollection of the drive here”? That’s about as un-present as you can get– going through set motions and not really experiencing anything, your brain totally on autopilot.

I honestly have spent years either with my attention directed towards the past or the future (whether it was a few days either direction or a few years). So many of us think that “some day” I’ll enjoy life, or when such and such happens, then life will be good.

Yesterday I wasn’t present. I wasn’t awake, so to speak. Today I feel just the opposite. There’s an energy that just seems to be flowing through me as I’m aware of the present and living in it. It’s almost weird, it’s like being totally excited and at peace at the same time. To be awake and to feel alive is simply awesome. Sure there are a lot of things I want to accomplish in the future, life is not perfect, but life is still amazing right here and right now.

This is just one aspect of being present— being present to life. Another one deals with being present to people, and that one will take more work to learn and do, but it’s really powerful. How often do you really listen to people? Next time you’re talking to someone, pay attention to your thoughts. Are you thinking about what you THINK about what the person is saying? Are you even really paying attention or are you just on autopilot with your mind somewhere else? (oh gosh I’ve done this a million times.) Can you quiet the voice in your head and just get what it is that they are saying without analyzing it or trying to decide what it means about you or about them? Consider the difference between what is said and what is heard— they’re very often two different things because of the way we interpret things, attach meaning to things and are influenced or conditioned by past experiences.

I think being present to others means accepting instead of expecting, loving rather than judging individuals (separate the person from whatever actions of theirs might be negative to you). I think this is partly how God is able to love all his children, no matter how degenerate and disobedient they are. He is perfectly able to separate the actions from the individual.