I am currently reading a book about presence... being present in the here and now and transcending our physical being into our spiritual being through retreats and other such malarky!!! What a waste of paper... I feel guilty about the tree which created this book!!!
Unfortunately (or fortunately) most of us cannot afford the time and or cash to head out on a month long retreat to find our inner selves and to be honest the experience may fill our souls with wonder but it is short lived when we return to our here and now and general lives.....
It is more important to find 'presence' in our existing lives.... our realities rather than head off into the ether to discover it...
If you suffer from living in the future, constantly striving... making no time for yourself in the now.... please consider the following time effective but real ways to wake up to the now....
- sit for 2 mins and focus on your breathing or your heart rate- nothing else- and if thoughts come into your head tell them you will deal with them in 2 mins...
- Go for a walk without head phones and actively look at the surroundings, the trees, houses, grass, listen to the noises, birds, traffic, feel the breeze as it passes over your skin
- sit and watch ants for 2 mins as they scurry about their day... imagine what it woudl be like being an ant
- every hour stand up from your desk and stretch up as tall as you can.... feel your fingers extend to the ceiling and ground your feet on the floor... if you want add a mantra (something like... I am most enjoying x y or z about today.... I feel x y or z at this moment in time- don't worry if you feel angry/ upset or disappointed.. these are real feelings and acknowledging them is important)
And for the really brave!!!
Select a day where you don't have any plans and keep it completely free..... (no job list!!!)
When you wake up (naturally- no clocks) ask yourself what you feel like doing- and actually listen to what you say.... if it is nothing.... do nothing until you feel like doing something..... and when you have done that thing... ask yourself what you would like to do next....
Go on... try it.... what do you have to lose???? And as always let me know how you get on...
Being curious is one of the most effective ways for us to engage with other human beings as well as the world....
Curiosity opens up a world of opportunities, it allows us to explore something physical or intellectual in new and novel ways.. and discover new, interesting and innovative ways of doing things.
Curiosity can engage all or any one of our senses...
Curiosity allows us to listen to another person without judging them and to consider another point of view... it allows us to use our ears twice as much as our mouths and therefore to learn more about the world we are in than we already know about it...
Without curiosity our world would be a very dull place....
And yet..... we rarely adopt a stance of curiosity.. preferring to share with the world our existing knowledge... our existing views... use our existing familiar perimeter... scary.... but not quite so scary as not letting our children explore the world with curiosity....
To find and discover on their own... in the dirt and mud... in trees and in gardens.... in questions and in doing..... allowing them to develop new and innovative ways of doing things
So the challenge this time is to adopt a stance of curiosity.... to say to someone... "that sounds interesting... tell me about it..." or "really, how did that happen......?" or to be curious enough about something to see how it works....
And for those of us who are growing a new generation of humans... allow them to be curious this week... let them explore something unaided.... let them ask questions without being told to be quiet..... let them find a new way of doing something routine... you know wearing your knickers on your head will not end the world!!!!
Curiosity is one of the most important skills we possess... let's practice it and encourage our children to learn using it... let me know how you and they get on...
After some feedback re my 'real conversation' blog..... I have decided to issue a further communication challenge to anyone reading this.....
It again relies on a rapidly declining skill.... and challenges us to put ourselves out there a little more than an email or text message. It doesn't allow us to hide behind abbreviations or symbols... it is an 'old fashioned' letter..
And the purpose of the letter, this time, is to tell someone something about what they mean to you or have done for you.... Letters were once the only means of distant communication and were frequently kept and reread as a source of comfort and joy, so whether you chose to pen a thank you note, a love letter, or an outline of what someone means to you, know that you are taking a huge step further than sending a text message or email.
Letters have a physicality to them, a handwritten letter the added dimension that time, thought and effort has gone into it.... no cutting and pasting available.... and if the letter arrives in the post there is also the added excitement about receiving something interesting....
So .... where to begin..... if you are stuck.... then you could try the following starters.... remember there are no right or wrongs with a letter..... and once you begin you may find it quite difficult to stop....
Dear........
- I have decided to put pen to paper to let you know how much I appreciate you.......
- I thought that I would take some time to consider all that you have done for me over the past (x amount of time) and drop you a line to let you know what that has meant to me....
- I find it very difficult to express myself verbally so thought I would write to a note to tell you how much you mean to me....
Enjoy writing the letter.... and let me know how you get on......
