LIVING IN THE NOW – DAY 5
Where are you?
Does that sound daft? Sometimes ‘mindfulness’ questions can seem so obvious, I feel embarrassed to even ask them.
But I carry on asking, because often the first answer comes from the thinking-mind and not from the more connected, awake, alive part of us.
When the mind is divorced from the body it can become deadened: unfeeling, disconnected. ‘Automatic pilot’ is one term used. There is also ‘distracted’, ‘disengaged’, ‘disinterested’, ‘diss-associated’ or ‘dissociated’.
When the mind is not in the present moment – the NOW – we are not available to the people around us. When we are disconnected from our body, we are not even fully available to ourselves. The mind gets stuck in patterns of thinking that can be unhelpful, and behaviours even more so.
Coming into the present moment gives us the opportunity to re-connect to the people we care about, whether they are in the room, on a screen, or a message away.
So, I ask again: “Where are you?”
I invite you to take a moment to consider the answer.
The traditional Taoist answer (with thanks to my Qi Gong teacher) is:
“I am here.”
Today’s invitation is to come into the present moment and notice, who is with you? Your body, your pet, a friend or family member, a stranger passing by? Now, because you are here, in this present moment, you can choose how to interact with this being. Is there something you might want to say or do, to connect? A smile, a “Hello”, the touch of a warm hand to your own body, or theirs (as rules permit!). Being awake and aware in the NOW allows us to connect more deeply with who and what we love.
Inspirational Poem
Roger Keyes: Hokusai says
Hokusai says Look carefully.
He says pay attention, notice.
He says keep looking, stay curious.
He says there is no end to seeing.
He says Look forward to getting old.
He says keep changing,
you just get more who you really are.
He says get stuck, accept it, repeat
yourself as long as it’s interesting.
He says keep doing what you love.
He says keep praying.
He says every one of us is a child,
every one of us is ancient,
every one of us has a body.
He says every one of us is frightened.
He says every one of us has to find
a way to live with fear.
He says everything is alive –
shells, buildings, people, fish,
mountains, trees. Wood is alive.
Water is alive.
Everything has its own life.
Everything lives inside us.
He says live with the world inside you.
He says it doesn’t matter if you draw,
or write books. It doesn’t matter
if you saw wood, or catch fish.
It doesn’t matter if you sit at home
and stare at the ants on your verandah
or the shadows 0 the trees
and grasses in our garden.
It matters that you care.
It matters that you notice.
It matters that life lives
through you.
Contentment is Life living through you.
Joy is life living through you.
Satisfaction and strength
is life living through you.
Peace is life living through you.
He says don’t be afraid.
Don’t be afraid.
Look, feel, let life take you by the hand.
Let life live through you.
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