You Are Here
What does it mean to be in the present moment? I mean really, everyday, to be in the present moment? There are words that can help you to remember.
It’s difficult to stay in the present moment, even without the number of distractions we have today—so many issues that we, as a society, must face and actions we must take, not to mention the restrictions placed on our lives as a result of COVID, job loss, unbreathable air… The smoke that choked our usually clear air here in the Pacific Northwest became the catalyst for me to recognize that, even though I have many tools to place myself in the present moment, I wasn’t able to live in it.
Slug by KB
Being in the present moment is about noticing our surroundings, our emotion, our thought, without judgment. When I’m in nature I can fall into this state of “being” seamlessly by noticing a slug in my path, or a yellowing, newly fallen leaf on the trail, or the patterns of wind on the water. But, with the air quality at “very unhealthy” levels, I was very much stuck, tethered to the mundane within my home's four walls. And I wanted to escape.
This need to get out of the house became a need to fill the space—with thoughts of past or future, with snacks, with planning for the next task, with replying to emails in my head, with strategizing about how I could make time for myself. Taking a few minutes, or even a few seconds, to focus on my breath never surfaced in my consciousness as an option. I had to keep going.
This drive to fill the space, of course, led to more stress, weariness, exhaustion, collapse, and raging against the state of things. If only I had been able to go outside…
But then I realized what was happening. I needed to accept that I couldn’t go outside and, instead, be where I found myself at each moment.
At the moment I realized this, I was standing at the stovetop, preparing some lunch. I paused and said to myself, “I am here. I am here now.”
Meadow with pheasant by KB
The shift in my body was palpable. My thoughts stopped pulling my energy forward and back. Suddenly, I felt at ease. I recognized the pause and allowed Earth to support me. I knew that this was a moment, and that there would be another and another. And, although it was difficult to find any particular beauty in that moment, it was a beginning.
Later, after recuperating from the toll that the stress and exhaustion had taken on my body, and after the smoke had passed through, I was sitting outside and got a message that’s deepened my ability to be in the present moment, no matter how banal or uncomfortable that moment might be. It’s helping me to create a meaningful life as it unfolds, moment by moment.
I heard the question, What’s important?
My immediate answer was to say my son’s name.
The response was, No—what’s Important?
And then I heard from my own soul’s wisdom,
Joy. Balance. Truth.
This lesson is still sinking in, and I anticipate sharing more about it as it does. For now, every time we find ourselves veering from the present moment, especially in those moments when we want things to be different, we can slowly pause with each of these words.
We can open our awareness to the Joy of the moment by noticing what we notice. We can reconnect with our own sense of Balance in place, rather than being pulled forward or back. And we can remember what is True, whether it be the realness of the present moment, the kinship we feel with a leaf or a slug as beings on the same planet, or another observation we can make without judgment.
When we do this practice we begin to realize that, at those times when we allow our thoughts to wander to the past or the future without awareness, we do not feel joy or experience balance.
Rocks’ river by KB
The truth in those situations is that we're looking for an escape from what seems tedious or uncomfortable, or from something that we do not want to feel or to face.
In another situation we might ask, does this choice bring me joy, balance, and align with my truth? If not, and I have a choice, why choose it?
There are many runes that resonate with these three words, so it’s difficult to choose only one to embody this post's message. Perhaps Isa, shaped as a vertical line, is the best choice for contemplation. Associated with ice, it can mean blockage or stasis, but it can also mean an intentional and beneficial stillness. It reminds me of the standing balance I felt when I realized “I am here,” without continuing to allow my energy to run away or wander from my presence in the now.
We can be sure that the challenges and shifts will continue through to a larger change, and that this change will get us closer to balance both with Earth and within the structure of our society. Noticing how we can balance in each moment, find its joy and name the truth, are all important things for us to practice.
Becoming a still point of awareness will help us to navigate the unknown that we, as a collective, are being asked to traverse. Blessings as you continue your voyage.