The Gift of Presence

When speaking with patients I find that living mindfully is appealing for many. When we as individuals meet a person who has integrated mindfulness into his or her daily life, it sparks a desire to do the same. The thought of less is more is appealing. Less hustle and rush, and more presence. The simplicity of life. The challenge is how to get there consciously without fantasy or delusion. How do we transition from what feels like a treadmill of tasks and responsibilities to a point where we have time for the good stuff? As if that isn’t sufficiently challenging, how do we get there as a family?

Because, it's possible. It takes choice and living in your values while working towards your mission, daily.

We're all busy. The difference is in the choice of HOW busy you want to be. Also, what's your perception of busy? I find in the my practice the general consensus is that endless screens aren’t healthy for any of us. While it's not healthy, it's a hard addiction to overcome. I have also found many families are exchanging screens for activities, almost out of fear that our kids cannot be bored. Perhaps the perception is "boring" is a bad thing. As a result, days tend to alternate between screen time and structured activities.

Then, when we do find ourselves with down time, we are at a loss. Our brains are used to constant input and compel us to seek more. So we pick up the screen, and invite the same for the children. These are the moments when we miss our opportunities to live mindfully. Those teeny pockets of emptiness? That’s your opportunity. Take five minutes and be present. Have the rest of your family participate with you. In a society where we— especially the youngest generation—are losing our ability to produce rather than consume, creating is an ideal starting point for living mindfully. To mindfully create, destruction must occur. It's the balancing act. In this case, you're destroying the screen time in moments of empty.

Create in your highest values and let inspiration flow. The goal is to spend time in the present. I invite you to incorporate this practice into your life and the life of your family and let flow happen. Presence takes practice, practice the discipline of holding space to let creation happen.

You might be surprised of what happens.
You won't ever know until you simply start.
Happy creating!