Presence

April 15th

There is nothing wrong in the present, and that is where we should live. The present may not be pretty, with things that make us hurt or experience anguish, but if we stay present with it, we can learn to depend more fully on Love, or God. The hurt of the present is not as bad as the hurt of the past and of the future, which are often illusions that our mind comes up with. We often have an unrealistic view of the past, or hold onto the hurt too long, and our worries of the future are often unfounded; really there is no way to tell as we haven't experienced the future yet. It's just our job to be here now, where we can see and hear and touch afresh, and rely on Love to get us through. Love is gentle, love is kind. As we are present, so we can be present to people around us, patiently listening to them as we sit with them, rather than daydreaming about what we will have for dinner or what movie we'll watch later that night. The greatest gift we can give to another is our presence, so said Thich Nhat Hanh. Learning to be present may mean weaning ourselves off of things that distract us, whether it be alcohol, iPods, cellphones, or maybe not. The goal though, is to be present, right here, right now.