Being present is a theme in my life. Instead of enumerating where I am not present I want to make a list of events in my life where I am totally present. The list will be shorter this way.
- Meditating is going better . I can stay in my body, fully present for at least five minutes.
- I am present when I am learning a new piece on the piano.
- I am present when I walk for any amount of time because of my knee and foot problems. I have to stay aware or,,,,,down,,,,,,I go.
- I am present when I hug my grandchildren. I have trained myself to really look into their eyes
- I am present when I teach piano, most of there time.
What I find so perplexing about being human is the huge resistance my mind exerts to staying present. I feel it whenever I do anything creative. There is a drag on my will to act which sends my mind to distractions often quite ludicrous. It is a stickiness which I call the Unmaker. I am a daughter of a creative God and his inspiration is uplifting and in the now. There is also the Unmaker who follows close behind, jealous of any move I make towards the light of creating. He lives in the past and catapults my futurizing mind toward fiction. God waits for me in the present. He speaks to me in the now.
"WHAT I KNOW There's a secret that real writers know that wannabe writers don't, and the secret is this: It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance." from "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield, Shawn Coyne
I write on Fridays with a large group who inspire me. Only five minutes and without much thought to perfection. I write, prompted by one word that sends my thoughts to the keyboard and hopefully make sense.
Hi from your neighbor in the link up today. I loved this, and related so well. In this age of technology, information overload, 1001 choices every minute of the day, it is so easy to fall into distraction and being absent from the present. It's something I'm making a more concentrated effort towards in this new year. Enjoy your weekend!
ReplyDeleteThank-you Joyce. Falling into distraction is a huge pitfall.
DeleteFunny...our post titles were almost identical. I'm over in the #60 spot this week.
ReplyDeleteLosing your purse is one of the worst ways to distract your life. Thanks, Tara, for reading here.
DeleteI was thinking that the FMF word tied in well with you theme of mindfulness! I like how you describe "the Unmaker". It is so easy to be distracted but staying present definitely allows us to hear God more clearly.
ReplyDeleteI thank-you for your comments and hope that both of us do well with surrendering and mindfulness.
DeleteAmen! We truly are 'daughters of a creative God'...I love this!!! Such beautiful writing. Have a truly blessed week - one where you feel the presence of our Heavenly Father.
ReplyDeleteLynette
~#9 on linkup this wk