Being Present
Presence can look and feel different depending on where you are, who you are with, what you are doing, and why you are there. With an animal being whose favorite thing is to watch the street out the front window, being fully present is shutting off any electronics including your phone to connect in and chat with her or him about the street activities: people coming and going, garage doors moving up and down, vehicles stopping and going, pups being walked past the windows along with the sounds of the various delivery trucks – and yes they know the difference. This is what connecting and being heard can look like.
It can be watching or observing nature’s activity in your yard with your feline friend: the birds flying in, eating seed, hummingbirds defending their turf, Quail chitchatting and guiding their covey through the yard, rabbits hopping along munching on grass or carrots and the sounds from around the space while sitting adjacent to them.
In nature the act of presence can look like walking along a trail and tuning into the sights, sounds and what one is feeling or sitting on a bench, closing your eyes and listening to the sounds near and far. What is it that you feel? Where are the sounds located and the scents? Discerning the sound of a bee versus a fly as it moves around you.
Tuning into your own body: what are you feeling, hearing and sensing. Listening to the patterns of your breath. Feeling your feet upon a trail or the sun on your back and the breeze along your face.
Finding presence at a gathering where multiple people are talking at once can be challenging depending on your personal skillsets. For me, it means tuning out the layers of other conversations and s0unds to hear what one person is saying. Depending on the distance, it can look like I am ignoring or not fully engaged nor listening as I work to eliminate the layers that are all around me to hear that one person. Until I filter these out, the person directing their communication to me may feel like they do not have all of my attention. This would be a true evaluation yet for a different reason than disinterest.
All of these are forms of presence. When was the last time you were fully present with yourself or your animal companions? What environments are challenging to you or easier to reach that coveted stage of being present. The opportunities are endless for practice.
