Presence

Be Here, Be Now. I read this is Oprah's motto.

Several weeks ago I spent time with a girlfriend. I was distracted by work, other friends visiting, adapting to my new raw food lifestyle....

At the end of our visit she very gently said ‘You were here, however you weren't here!’. Those words hit me like a brick. What did she mean?

Over the next few days I observed my actions. She was right. In certain situations I was ‘here, but not’!

What is presence? How do you know when you’re being present, or not?

Eckhart Tolle describes it by simply ‘feeling your left hand’. When you feel the tingle of your blood flowing, the movement of your fingers, you experience presence. It brings your your focus right here, right now.

What’s happening in this moment is presence. Not thinking about the future or feeling the memories of the past.

If you're not living here in this moment, where are you?

Who's in your body if you're not here?

Animals live in the moment. They don’t hang onto resentment or bitterness, or carry a grudge. They are completely present.

I was told once that the best gift you could ever give another person is to be present with them. It's true.

Have you experienced that presence? How did you feel?

Many people describe coaching this way. Holding space for another and truly being heard.

One of my greatest gifts didn’t come wrapped in a box that day, however this one did have a great big read bow around it.

I get it now.