Being Present in the Present.

I write this on a rainy Monday morning, listening to Miles Davis' classic record "Kind of Blue."  This post could be called "So What?!"

Wiser folks than I, (yes, they are legion), say that the best way to be, the best way to live, is to always "be present." You know. Show up. Be aware & awake. Eyes & ears open. Look sharp. Be in the moment. Don't judge the moment. Drop the worry, doubt, guilt, confusion, expectation, anticipation, hope & fear. Just be present in the moment. Sounds simple. But not so easy to do. It's a practice. A discipline. A simple rule for living. Easy to understand, less easy to embody.

I gave it my best yesterday. I had to face some unpleasant circumstances. I had to be places, and do things, I didn't really want to do. I did my best to drop all of my baggage. I did my best to "be here, now." Funny, I watched myself do this simple thing. Sometimes I strayed, I started to judge, recoil, pull back, jump in, but then, I caught myself doing it. I just took a few deep breaths and let it all go.

I did find a certain calmness and patience that I don't normally exhibit. I didn't take the bait, I didn't respond in my usual ways. It was a little strange, I mean, I felt a bit like a stranger in a strange land. The strange land of my own being. A stranger to myself. I was watching myself. A little bit of a  head-trip.

So, the unpleasant circumstances of my day just sort of passed me by, I noticed them and let them melt around me. No worries. No anger. Lots of silence. I had so much less to say. The silence was comforting.  The present is a big space, ever-expanding. No time for my usual routines. It was a pretty good experience. Being present in the present, I recommend it!