Saturday, December 27, 2008

Tough Times - Part 2 - Presence

When times are tough, we get stressed and distracted. We sometimes go into survival mode and walk around doing the minimum of what's expected and forget to notice the unexpected. One mom recently told me about her very mystical two year old. Sometimes, kids say amazing things that get our attention! Mom was doing her usual busy-ness and had finally stopped and sat down. Numb from all the demands she was feeling, she was kind of staring off into space. Her tiny daughter took her mom's face and looked into her eyes and said, "Mommy, where are you?" That was a wake-up call.

Probably one of the most challenging things for many of us is to stay present... to stay aware and attentive to life and people flowing around us. Presence is also one of the most rewarding things we can do. When we are present, we notice things that otherwise get by us, like the people in our lives who are important to us. Like the beauty that is always there for the seeing.

Times are tough and there are many things we must do to keep afloat. But peace, even for a moment, comes when we notice the wonder in the ordinary of every day.

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