Our Presence is a Gift to Everyone and Everything Around us all of the Time.
The only real thing we all have in life is the present moment. Us humans tend to think about the future and the past more than what is happening right now. It happens all of the time. While eating, driving, and going through our daily lives, a lot of the time, we are thinking of something that either has already happened or hasn’t happened yet. This occurs so often that we don’t even realize it most of the time.
We even do this while we are spending time with other people. Sometimes we are so caught up in other things that we fail to realize we are being given a chance to be fully present with someone else.
The most memorable times in my life are when I have been fully present and when the people I have been with have been fully present with me. I can still remember the numerous times my sister, and I laughed so hard together that my cheeks hurt. I can still feel the happiness and magic I felt on my first date with my husband and the pure joy and amazement I felt the moment my daughter was born. I fondly remember all of the times my family and I sat by a campfire or got to sleep under the stars. I can feel the love from the first time my puppy hugged my arm years ago and the peace I feel riding my horse. I treasure all of the quiet times I got to spend over the years just reading by the fire in the middle of winter as snowflakes were gently falling outside.
There are a few things all of these moments have in common. I did not pay attention to my cell phone or computer, I was not checking on anything other than what I was doing in that moment, and I was being fully present and immersed in each of these moments. I find that the more I let go of what is not happening RIGHT NOW, the more enjoyable life becomes. Don’t get me wrong; I am definitely still a work in progress with this. But, when I do get it right, magic tends to happen.
I say we all try to make it a goal to be a little more present with each other. It will deepen our bonds with the people in our lives and with ourselves.
I hope you have lots of beautiful moments this week.
Nichole Lindroth Bontrager
CEO & Life Enthusiast at Maria’s Place
