The Gift Of Presence: The Secret To Living A Great Life.

by | Oct 23, 2022

The Gift Of Presence: The Secret To Living A Great Life.

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I decided to do something a bit differently this week, as a poem that I came across inspired me. The poem was called “The Life of a Day” written by Tom Hennen.

The Life of a Day
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Like people or dogs, each day is unique and has its own personality quirks which can easily be seen if you look closely. But there are so few days as compared to people, not to mention dogs, that it would be surprising if a day were not a hundred times more interesting than most people.
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But usually they just pass, mostly unnoticed, unless they are wildly nice, like autumn ones full of red maple trees and hazy sunlight, or if they are grimly awful ones in a winter blizzard that kills the lost traveler and bunches of cattle.
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For some reason we like to see days pass, even though most of us claim we don’t want to reach our last one for along time. We examine each day before us with barely a glance and say, no, this isn’t one I’ve been looking for, and wait in a bored sort of way for the next, when, we are convinced, our lives will start for real.
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Meanwhile, this day is going by perfectly well-adjusted, as some days are, with the right amounts of sunlight and shade, and a light breeze scented with a perfume made from the mixture of fallen apples, corn stubble, dry oak leaves, and the faint odor of last nights meandering skunk.

He beautifully captures an ugly truth; we often wish our precious time away, waiting for the “perfect day” to come along. The poem reminds us that each day, like each person, has something to offer to us. We just need to pay attention to what is being offered, and be open to receiving it.

The poem reminds us of the need to be present, to appreciate the moment that we are in, to fully experience what is happening.

And that requires us to hold two competing ideas in our mind at the same time.

“I am good enough, and I am in exactly the right place for me at this moment” and “I can become something more and will move towards it”. You can see the tension here. Both ideas are 100% correct. We must be able to hold both these thoughts in our mind at the same time.

It is the journey that matters – because that makes up life. Every moment, of every day, what you do is how you are living your life.

Choose to enjoy each day. Because there may not be another. At some point, that will be true for both you and I.

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Quotation that I have been pondering

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The quote that I’ve had on my mind this week comes from the poem “Summer Morning” by Charles Simic.

“I hear a butterfly stirring inside a caterpillar.”

I found that to be such a beautiful line. We are all seeking to transform ourselves, into becoming what we could become, if we would just allow ourselves to become it. There is something beautiful inside each of us, pleading to come forth.

Journal Prompt

I do not believe that people put enough time into thinking about what they actually want out of life. The tendency is to over-simplify and not go deep enough. This leads us to putting our time and energy into things that we think others expect of us, rather than allowing us to become who we yearn to become.

Which leads to this week’s journal prompt.

Ask yourself, if you know how to live a better life and get what you want, why aren’t you doing it? If you knew so well how to manage your life on your own, why isn’t your life going the way you want it to?

Write out what pops into your mind related to these questions, without judgement. Then reflect on your answers, keeping in mind that the goal of the exercise is not to beat yourself up. The point is to consider what change you might introduce to your life to move you in the right direction.

What is a small step that you can take to move yourself forward?

Start with that small step, consistently. And notice how great it feels to make progress towards what you really want.

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Have a great week!

Tim

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