In my last post, Be Days , I mentioned I have rules for helping me spend less time thinking and more time Being. One of them is be present now. That is the hardest of all the rules. It is natural for me to think about the past, future, or something else that is not right in front of me.
I have found something that helps me be more present, at least for a short time. I pick a task that is so easy that I don’t have to think about it while doing it. One that comes to mind is tying my shoes. Usually when I tie them I’m getting ready to go somewhere and my attention is on leaving. However, during a Be vacation I focus my attention on exactly what I’m doing at the moment, crossing the laces, making the loops ect. For just a brief moment I’m totally present. It gives me a little break from the constant chatter in my mind.
In Smile for No Good Reason Lee Jampolsky wrote a chapter, Doing It With Presence. He says, “Joy does not come from what you are doing, but rather from your thoughtful presence while you are doing it.” The best way for me to do that is to deliberately think about exactly the task in front of me. A couple other applications are washing dishes or taking a shower. Both are so easy to do while my mind is elsewhere.
The more I am present, the more joy and peace I have in my life. It doesn’t come easily, but like most things, practice helps.
May you have enough today, one moment at a time.
THIS HELPED ME 