Present

PRESENT: abiding in a specified place and time; existing now; attentive

QUESTION: Are you aware of being present?

STORY: It is a big deal to be aware of being PRESENT here now! Our minds are often stuck in a past memory experience or we are escaping into a desire for a different future. Also, today we live in a blizzard of information. Our attention is constantly diverted and distracted by emails, social media posts, advertisements and TV Breaking News Alerts. We each must take charge of our most valuable asset - our ATTENTION. You are the one who must take charge of your attention and BE in the PRESENT moment. How do you do this? Well, practice observing yourself and the world around you without naming, labeling, identifying or judging. I drew this self portrait just by being PRESENT and observing without judging - the edges, directions, intersecting lines, collisions of light and dark that I saw in a mirror that day. If you are interested in BEING PRESENT - check out my Ontology Work Chamber: https://www.drawingtogether.com/bookclub

QUOTES

“Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have. Make the Now the primary focus of your life.” ~ Eckhart Tolle

“The art of life is to live in the present moment, and to make that moment as perfect as we can by the realization that we are the instruments and expression of God Himself.” ~ Emmett Fox

“The ability to be in the present moment is a major component of mental wellness.” ~ Abraham Maslow

“Self remembering invokes Presence. The struggle to be present allows me to observe the self in action.” ~ Red Hawk

EXERCISE

STOP.

Sit quietly. Assume an erect posture. Sense the breath. Observe any tension in the body and any unnecessary thinking.

Get your pen and paper and write words that flow as you relax and observe your body and the world around you without judgment. Feel the energy flowing through you and if you have another minute, draw lines expressing the energy of BEING PRESENT.

And move forward into your day with PRESENCE.