OUR AMAZING JOURNEY -- 21

BEING PRESENT 

+ 5 of my favorite BEING PRESENT quotes >

I think this is how we are supposed to be in the world -- present and in awe. -- Anne Lamott

All of the rituals that Buddhists do, the chants and repeated actions, the sitting quietly, the slow movement, are techniques to help us develop the capacity to be fully present in each moment of our lives. They can lead, ideally, to a reverence for all the tasks and difficulties, the suffering, the opportunities for joy of daily life. -- Sandy Boucher

Breathing in, I dwell in the present moment;

breathing out, I know this is a wonderful moment.

-- Thich Nhat Hanh

To be present is the most fundamental generosity of all. When there is nothing else to do, when we are in a situation that seems hopelessly blocked, there is still one thing we can do: We can be there. -- Lewis Richmond

Our poodle, Meriah, definitely is a reminder to BE PRESENT as she finds all kinds of ways to bring me out of my attachment to my work and obsessions and back to simply enjoy the moment. This moment.

I often repeat to myself Guideline number 4 in The Handbook to Higher Consciousness by Ken Keyes, Jr.

I always remember I have everything I need to enjoy my here and now unless I am letting my consciousness be dominated by demands and expectations based on the dead past or imagined future.

And I have a long way to go but I am striving moment after moment, breath after precious breath, to be awake, aware and connected on Our Amazing Journey. And we are always where we need to be on Our Amazing Journey, right here, right now.

How do you come back to the here-and-now?

The meme above comes from the S&P Gallery of memes on BEING PRESENT.

+ I like to think of JOY as a constant in our lives breath after precious breath no matter what is going on in and beyond our personal lives. In a blog post on Being Present, Patricia Ann Farmer reminds us that Being Present can even be terrifying and we certainly can't be happy when that happens. But deep within us the JOY remains and that can keep us going no matter what.