A Reading from the Book of Presence

It all begins the moment you open your eyes. Can you pause, can you set aside the fire.  Ohhhhh, the fire.

Jumping out of bed to the sound of the alarm, stoking the flame, thinking about getting the kids up and out the door, thinking about what you’ve got to get done before you go to work, and how you’re going to make it to the end of the day. So tired…

The reality is, we create our fires, and we can put out those fires too, or even just set them aside for a hot second.

Presence is the moment of stepping outside the ring of fire.  It’s taking a moment for yourself, your inner self. Try setting aside the fire,  and make that the first thing you do each day.  It can be as simple as taking a breath, a real breath. It’s a deep inhale, where you actually feel your belly expand and fill with air, then hold that breath for a few seconds, and then release it slowly through the nose until the belly is deflated, empty.  Do it a few times.

Then take a moment to think… “Am I doing the best I can in this moment, with the way I’m living, how I’m living?” If the answer is “no”, remember you create your own fires. Everyone knows, fire can be wonderful, warm and cozy and safe, but fire can be also be all-consuming, life threatening and dangerous. If the fire has become too hot, and you know it, can you, while stepping away from it for a moment, think of one small thing that you can do today (for real) to tamp down the flames?  Can you take one small step in a different direction today, now, that might begin to lead you away from an all-consuming, life threatening or dangerous fire?

The Book of Presence is not longwinded.  It is simple, and it is profound. Whenever you take a moment to pause, to breathe, and truly reflect on what you do and how you are doing it, you are giving yourself the space to find ways to live your life better.  It all begins the moment you open your eyes.