Most of the time leading up to the holidays is spent on purchasing presents rather than practicing presence.
Look around; everyone is rushing from one thing to another. There is so much to do around the holidays, but don’t we keep this pace all year?
Always rushing to the next thing, whether it’s one grade to the next or one project to the other. There is always something else on the horizon and something else to chase. When we’re chasing, we’ve lost the race. By definition, if we’re chasing something, we are behind it. Besides, life is already so short. Why are we racing anyways?
We don’t listen to music at two times the intended speed, nor do we visit the beach and want the waves to move twice as fast. The point is to enjoy the experience along the way through practicing presence.
There are plenty of guides to practice presence. If following a listicle was effective, achieving a monk-like state would be considered normal.
Presence is already there, buried beneath all our obligations, thoughts, and mental patterns of operating in daily life. When we drop the obligations, let go of repetitive thoughts that don’t serve us, and question the patterns that get in our way, we uncover our natural ability to be present.
Most of us have spent our entire lives being busy and focusing on the future or recollecting on the past, that it’ll take time to uncover the present.
But with the holidays coming around, why not embrace some holiday presence? The gifts can wait.
–
If you found value in this post, please consider buying me a coffee.