I remember driving in the car
up to Estes Park
on a cloud-strewn afternoon,
and thinking how beautiful it was
to look up the sides of the mountain that the road was cut into,
thinking,
”that is where I would climb for my life
if there was a flash flood,
for they do happen,
and it’s easy to get trapped on the road
while the water rises
faster than one can climb.
A few months later,
I rode the same highway
on the back of a motorcycle
and was blown away . . .
I was so much THERE
than I had been
in the car.
The colours were brighter,
the scents were stronger,
and I felt so present to the moment
that I didn’t think a bit
about flash floods.
Thinking now,
how would that passage feel
from the seat of a bicycle?
Or if I was walking it
on my own two feet?
That amazement
has stayed with me,
how naked I felt against those towering rocks
without the metal and glass of a car
to contain me.
It was a truly awesome experience of Presence.
And that is how I feel
when I am present to an event in my life,
no matter how unadorned,
no matter how complex.
I can look into the heart of a simple flower . . .
a flower with no other agenda
but to live,
and feel exquisitely touched by that fragile soul.
In a more complicated,
social setting,
I can feel the space about me
expand,
when I pay attention to people
making conversation . . .
looking into their faces,
really listening to what is being said,
all the while
the world spins around
outside that circle of the moment.
Being present to my life
increases its value,
makes it richer
and more complete . . .
like being wide awake,
and I’d much rather live life wide awake
than half asleep.
My time here
will be over
before you know it,
and I want to savour all of it. ♥
Wonderful description, Sparrow! And yes, as one who travels the same roads walking, biking, on a bus, and in a car as driver or passenger, moving at a human-powered pace provides much more presence and connection to the world around me if I’m not moving with “car head”. That’s my name for the goal-oriented me-me-me attitude so prevalent in transportation, thinking only of getting someplace fast and not fully experiencing the journey. On my bike occasionally I’ll be in a hurry to get somewhere for an appointment and I can recognize I have a bit of that going on.
That depends completely on what situation or context I’m present to. There is no one answer to this. The feelings I have, the feelings I’m able to recognize and acknowledge, whatever!
Research tells us that labeling feelings creates a distance from the feeling in that moment of recognition. That’s all well and good as a technique for managing feelings such as fear, anger, irritation, stress. I don’t want to label feelings such as joy or exhilaration in the moment because then I will have distanced myself from something I should experience fully. In other words, being present means not naming.
It’s changeable depending on my experience in the moment obviously.
Right now I am grateful and feel alert and energized after walking a mile up a small tree -covered mountain
In the Belknap region of New Hampshire.
Grateful for the green trees and the calm and silence. And for the generosity of my friend, Diane who I’m staying with.
And regret too, that I don’t have time to climb to the tip for a view of Laje Winnepesaukee. Time to head back to work tomorrow in the busy noisy city.
Maeve, I remember you posting in the past, but sometimes I get people confused.
I’m thinking you might be a school teacher. Am I right, if you don’t mind my asking?
No particular reason for asking, other than I was a teacher, and I recall a teacher whose posts I haven’t seen in a while.
🙂
I do become present in the busy, noisy city.
That doesn’t mean that what arises in the moment will be “joy, peace, calm” etc. Being present is to be there to
the unpleasant feelings as well.
I had indigestion all night and this morning. What is it to feel fully present with indigestion? It’s to observe unpleasant sensations and strong, roiling thoughts and feelings. The gut produces 90% of our serotonin, so when it’s irritated, the mood can really dip. Being present means observing the turmoil and having the flexibility to make choices. It is to apply patience. The feelings and sensations are already there. Presence is moving through time slowly and choosing what to do next.
Contrast that to being reactive to indigestion–bypassing sensation and behaving dyspeptically; growing anxious, medicating and crossing fingers; hunting for a source of the indigestion as though that’ll change it. With presence, even in the midst of stormy thoughts- and sensations, I can act calmly and patiently. It doesn’t change the icky feelings, but it makes them bearable, and I somehow feel good despite them.
As I sit here, a warm cat in my lap, the cool morning air coming through the window, the occasional bird call and sounds of cars going by, the tinnitus pulsing in my left ear, the minor aches and pains of my body, the taste of coffee in my mouth, its strange, when I am present, a feeling of contentment flows over me.
It’s the time traveling, past and future, that gives me anxiety, sadness, stress, resentment, and a whole assortment of feelings that are not based on the present moment. It’s so nice to be able to catch myself and observe exactly where I’m at. Am I future tripping? Am I re-playing old scenarios?
And then coming back to this moment. The only moment we truly have.
When my mind begins to wander, bring it back to the breath.
I too have tinnitus, although it is not limited to one ear. Seems to emanate from within the center portion of my head under the forehead and spread towards the ears from there.
Interesting. I have it in both ears, it’s just that, for some reason, I can hear my cardioid artery in my left ear. It’s the sound of my pulse. Not such a bad thing. 😁
It sounds to me,
dear Charlie,
that there is perfect contentment
in the moment you experiencing.
I hope you stay there awhile
and soak your soul in it. ♥
A deep calm, born of letting go of resentments or regrets about the past and fantasies or anxieties about the future. It is spacious. And it requires making space.
I was fully present this morning at 7:30 watching a Falcon Heavy rocket launch (SpaceX launched NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope) from out front of my home. Feeling in awe, amazement, and grateful to be able to view it. One day I will drive over to Titusville and see it in person. I want to see, feel, and hear the sonic boom.
Wishing all a wonderful Sunday 🙂
Give yourself the gift of free bi-monthly inspiration including uplifting articles, diverse stories, supportive practices, videos, and more, delivered with heart to your inbox.
I remember driving in the car
up to Estes Park
on a cloud-strewn afternoon,
and thinking how beautiful it was
to look up the sides of the mountain that the road was cut into,
thinking,
”that is where I would climb for my life
if there was a flash flood,
for they do happen,
and it’s easy to get trapped on the road
while the water rises
faster than one can climb.
A few months later,
I rode the same highway
on the back of a motorcycle
and was blown away . . .
I was so much THERE
than I had been
in the car.
The colours were brighter,
the scents were stronger,
and I felt so present to the moment
that I didn’t think a bit
about flash floods.
Thinking now,
how would that passage feel
from the seat of a bicycle?
Or if I was walking it
on my own two feet?
That amazement
has stayed with me,
how naked I felt against those towering rocks
without the metal and glass of a car
to contain me.
It was a truly awesome experience of Presence.
And that is how I feel
when I am present to an event in my life,
no matter how unadorned,
no matter how complex.
I can look into the heart of a simple flower . . .
a flower with no other agenda
but to live,
and feel exquisitely touched by that fragile soul.
In a more complicated,
social setting,
I can feel the space about me
expand,
when I pay attention to people
making conversation . . .
looking into their faces,
really listening to what is being said,
all the while
the world spins around
outside that circle of the moment.
Being present to my life
increases its value,
makes it richer
and more complete . . .
like being wide awake,
and I’d much rather live life wide awake
than half asleep.
My time here
will be over
before you know it,
and I want to savour all of it. ♥
Wonderful description, Sparrow! And yes, as one who travels the same roads walking, biking, on a bus, and in a car as driver or passenger, moving at a human-powered pace provides much more presence and connection to the world around me if I’m not moving with “car head”. That’s my name for the goal-oriented me-me-me attitude so prevalent in transportation, thinking only of getting someplace fast and not fully experiencing the journey. On my bike occasionally I’ll be in a hurry to get somewhere for an appointment and I can recognize I have a bit of that going on.
You,
especially,
dear Barb,
would notice the difference,
being a bicyclist yourself . . .
makes all the difference in the world! ♥
I like how you describe the difference of presence from car vs motorcycle – thought provoking.
The difference,
dear Michele,
was so much more than I had imagined. ♥
Thank you, Sparrow 🙏🏼
May we all live wide awake!
Namaste,
dear SunnyPatti . . . ♥
🙏🏼
Beautiful. Thank you for this. 🙏😊
I thought this might speak to you,
dear Charlie . . . ♥
” I can look into the heart of a simple flower . . .
a flower with no other agenda
but to live,”
Life, ain’t it grand!
Ain’t it though,
dear Joseph. 🙂
“My time here will be over before you know it, and I want to savor all of it.”
Wise words, dear Sparrow, for all. 💕
There are so many things,
dear Mary,
that remind us
that life is short,
don’t you think
when you really think about it? ♥
That depends completely on what situation or context I’m present to. There is no one answer to this. The feelings I have, the feelings I’m able to recognize and acknowledge, whatever!
Research tells us that labeling feelings creates a distance from the feeling in that moment of recognition. That’s all well and good as a technique for managing feelings such as fear, anger, irritation, stress. I don’t want to label feelings such as joy or exhilaration in the moment because then I will have distanced myself from something I should experience fully. In other words, being present means not naming.
Hmm. So if you don’t name or articulate to yourself your feelings in the moment, how can you be present to them?
That feels like the challenge: to simply be, without words.
That’s an interesting way of putting it,
dear Barb . . .
now I’ll have to twist myself into a pretzel
to try and sort that one out. 🙂
ps. I think there is truth in both. ♥
It’s changeable depending on my experience in the moment obviously.
Right now I am grateful and feel alert and energized after walking a mile up a small tree -covered mountain
In the Belknap region of New Hampshire.
Grateful for the green trees and the calm and silence. And for the generosity of my friend, Diane who I’m staying with.
And regret too, that I don’t have time to climb to the tip for a view of Laje Winnepesaukee. Time to head back to work tomorrow in the busy noisy city.
Maeve, I remember you posting in the past, but sometimes I get people confused.
I’m thinking you might be a school teacher. Am I right, if you don’t mind my asking?
No particular reason for asking, other than I was a teacher, and I recall a teacher whose posts I haven’t seen in a while.
🙂
Yes I am
Oh, yay! I am remembering you correctly.
You might see what happens,
dear Maeve,
when you become present
to that busy noisy city
tomorrow. ♥
I do become present in the busy, noisy city.
That doesn’t mean that what arises in the moment will be “joy, peace, calm” etc. Being present is to be there to
the unpleasant feelings as well.
I had indigestion all night and this morning. What is it to feel fully present with indigestion? It’s to observe unpleasant sensations and strong, roiling thoughts and feelings. The gut produces 90% of our serotonin, so when it’s irritated, the mood can really dip. Being present means observing the turmoil and having the flexibility to make choices. It is to apply patience. The feelings and sensations are already there. Presence is moving through time slowly and choosing what to do next.
Contrast that to being reactive to indigestion–bypassing sensation and behaving dyspeptically; growing anxious, medicating and crossing fingers; hunting for a source of the indigestion as though that’ll change it. With presence, even in the midst of stormy thoughts- and sensations, I can act calmly and patiently. It doesn’t change the icky feelings, but it makes them bearable, and I somehow feel good despite them.
Spaciousness and calmness
. . . an “all’s well
no matter what happens” sort of feeling . . . ♥
As I sit here, a warm cat in my lap, the cool morning air coming through the window, the occasional bird call and sounds of cars going by, the tinnitus pulsing in my left ear, the minor aches and pains of my body, the taste of coffee in my mouth, its strange, when I am present, a feeling of contentment flows over me.
It’s the time traveling, past and future, that gives me anxiety, sadness, stress, resentment, and a whole assortment of feelings that are not based on the present moment. It’s so nice to be able to catch myself and observe exactly where I’m at. Am I future tripping? Am I re-playing old scenarios?
And then coming back to this moment. The only moment we truly have.
When my mind begins to wander, bring it back to the breath.
I too have tinnitus, although it is not limited to one ear. Seems to emanate from within the center portion of my head under the forehead and spread towards the ears from there.
Interesting. I have it in both ears, it’s just that, for some reason, I can hear my cardioid artery in my left ear. It’s the sound of my pulse. Not such a bad thing. 😁
You always will know if your alive! 😊
It sounds to me,
dear Charlie,
that there is perfect contentment
in the moment you experiencing.
I hope you stay there awhile
and soak your soul in it. ♥
A deep calm, born of letting go of resentments or regrets about the past and fantasies or anxieties about the future. It is spacious. And it requires making space.
The present
is indeed spacious,
dear Clay . . .
thank you for this perspective.
Namaste ♥
Today is my church day. I feel very peaceful and closer to God.
When I’m fully present, blessedness and peace arise. Happy Sunday to all! 🌸
When I am fully present I feel peace, contentment.
All is well.
Happy Peaceful Sunday All.
🕊️❤️
I am feeling fully present when I am comfortable in my own skin.
Yram, I can certainly say that about myself as well.
I was fully present this morning at 7:30 watching a Falcon Heavy rocket launch (SpaceX launched NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope) from out front of my home. Feeling in awe, amazement, and grateful to be able to view it. One day I will drive over to Titusville and see it in person. I want to see, feel, and hear the sonic boom.
Wishing all a wonderful Sunday 🙂
Oh, I wanna do that, too! Maybe I can meet you in Titusville one day!!
would love that 🙂
Peace, contentment, confident all will be well.
Serenity~~a deep sense that all is well.🕊
Fully present in this moment, I feel peace and calm.
Happy Sunday, all 🌿