Even while you are shaving?

Colleagues,

MVP: Sorry, you need to read this one…

On May 14 in the daily message, I said I was better at being more present than I used to be, and I received a question from a reader (you know who you are, and you bring me so much joy!). The question and my response follow:

I'd be interested in hearing the distinctions between how you are more present now than before. Specifically, I'm interested in how you describe the "before" so that it's recognizable. 

Wow - as always you make me think.

Three things jump immediately to mind:

• It has become more of my default. When I encounter someone, my reaction is to attend to them. I don’t need to consciously clear my mental cache.
• It is not just with people. I attend to the motion and feel of the razor scraping hair from my cheek. I can hear the keyboard clicking. The tiny flowers capture my attention. I see God in the center of a trillium.
• I am more intentional about clogging my head with noise. Still too often I turn on a podcast or take my phone into the bathroom, but I do it intentionally, aware of the cost, aware that I am losing the peace that comes with allowing my mind to be still.
  
  

Today’s intention: What are you doing to cultivate presence?

Cheers!

Frederick