Be Present

38 Replies

I hear this a lot these days, ” Be Present.” Which means be in the now. Don’t live in the past or worry about the future. Stay focused on what is happening in the moment. I have read books about this philosophy and can agree it is good to be aware of what is going on around you in the present. If you get too caught up with worries about the future and distractions or brooding about the past your present life can just pass by without you being there.

I have experienced being in the now or being mindful of what I am doing. There are times when I am very relaxed doing a mundane task like washing dishes and can just be focused on that simple act and not be thinking of so many other things that have happened or may happen in the future.

Blogging has been a distraction for me recently. I am reading so many posts and trying to be mindful of what the author is communicating. It becomes a distraction from my own life when it is consuming a bit too much of my day.

Today I had a respite from the blogging world. The electric power was shut off in our area due to work being done by the utility company. Even after the power was restored to my house our internet service was disrupted even longer. I did not want to use my cell phone battery up to go online.

Besides that  I have been fighting a cold and so felt I should just rest and take some herbs. I did something today I haven’t felt like doing much of lately because I have been reading so many posts. I actually sat down and read a novel. If I get into a book I can finish it in one day and that is what I did today. I read a new book by Jodi Picoult called Leaving Time. It is a mystery about a young teenage girl whose mother disappeared and she wants to find out what happened to her mother. I really enjoyed getting back to reading a book again.

That was my way to be present in my life today. I took a break from the internet, drank special herbal tea and took my herb tincture, rested and became more engaged in my “normal” everyday life.

I hope to enjoy a different present tomorrow. As part of my birthday present my husband and I are going to drive up to Santa Barbara. It is not far from where I live and part of the drive takes you along the ocean. It is a beautiful view. The distance is just right for a day trip.

I will be easy to be present to enjoy a present like that.

Santa Barbara County Courthouse by Konrad Summers
City of Santa Barbara

 

|LindaGHill|

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38 thoughts on “Be Present”

  1. luciledegodoy

    Enjoyed reading your ‘being present’ experience and got inspiration to do the same this weekend. I have some books waiting…
    Happy belated birthday and enjoy the trip! Looks beautiful.
    Enjoy the weekend! Xx

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  3. Hariod Brawn

    I noticed this same phenomenon in myself too Deborah when I started blogging in April this year. What happened was that I was supplanting virtually all of my book reading time with blog reading in a bid to keep up with all the blogs I was subscribed to. In the end, one simply has to be discriminating and find a balance that works within one’s time constraints. Either that, or give up on books!

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  4. Dan Antion

    I think this will resonate with a lot of your readers, it’s a common problem. I have started to set aside short blocks of time for reading blogs. I’m getting to the point where I can’t keep adding to the list. Good job with the prompt.

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    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      Wow Polo matches. I remember hearing that they used to play Polo at the Will Rogers State Park as well. I did not know they played in Santa Barbara. Yes, I am lucky that Santa Barbara is not too far for us to drive to for the day.

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  8. Sandi

    I noticed there was no post from you yesterday, Deborah — I wondered if you were taking a break, now that Nano Poblano has ended. (My noticing your silence in Blogland is a frightening commentary on how much I’ve been on the internet lately.) I’m sorry to hear about your cold, glad to hear about your birthday outing, and sympathetic with your struggles to keep up with blog reading and book reading. Good post. Sometimes a day off from the internet is just what the doctor ordered. 🙂

    Happy birthday! Santa Barbara looks lovely!

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  9. Helen Espinosa

    I am finding the same things associated with blogging. I want to read every post that falls into my reader and I love interacting with everyone, but it is so nice sometimes to just set it all aside, especially for a good book. Thank you for sharing this for the prompt! 🙂

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  12. jetgirlcos

    Yes, indeed a common problem I think! Sometimes I have to just set a timer and say that is “WP” time, and then shut it off when the timer is done. Otherwise I could sit here and read/comment all day! I make allowance for SoCS, though 🙂 Beautiful pics, btw! I love Santa Barbara! I had an overnight there last week, but sadly it was raining cats and dogs and all I could do was forlornly look at the palm trees out the window of my hotel 😦 Enjoy your weekend!

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  13. markbialczak

    Happy Birthday, Deborah. A Santa Barbara trip from your husband is a wonderful present, and your gift to yourself to be totally in the present to enjoy it to the fullest is pretty awesome, too. Happy happy all around, my friend.

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  15. SomeKernelsOfTruth

    Lovely post! I too enjoy a day spent reading a book and have been known to devour a book in a day myself, although I agree that being able to do so isn’t always possible. Glad you got to treat yourself that way, and I hope you’re feeling better. Oh, and happy birthday — have a great day trip tomorrow! 🙂

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  17. Uncle Guacamole

    I guess I’m somewhat divided on this one. A long time ago, I had to help implement something called the “FISH philosophy” at work, which has as one of its guiding principles, “be there.” I do believe that it is important to truly be there for others who are important to us, rather than always being distracted. But I think doing some living in the past and dreaming about the future is important as well. After all, it is what separates us from our brother and sister animals, who live exclusively in the present.

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    1. Deborah Drucker Post author

      I agree. We do have to remember good things and bad and plan for the future but I think this idea of being present is to be aware of life now and that sometimes we get caught up worrying about the things that have already happened or not happened yet. I know I am definitely not always present. 🙂 Thanks for your thoughtful comment.

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