here i am
the practice we forget
Hello dear friend. I’m always grateful for your presence.
Which leads me to ask… how have you been present lately? I wonder how you’ve attended to your body, your mind, your soul? Please share in the comments. It’s so important that we can be together!
Speaking of…
My friend, let’s talk about doing versus being.
Over the last couple weeks, I’ve noticed a strong inclination in some friends to DO more and let being fend for itself. Maybe one of those friends is also me…
Here’s an example. Last week was full: lots of blocks on the calendar, very little empty space. Some stuff happened in my family, too. It was a week of emotional weight. A free hour appeared and my first instinct was to fill it: a trip to the store, laundry, emails. The hour would be done in an instant and I would rush into the next thing.
Then I paused and remembered something.
I’m a human being, not a human doing.
The expectation that I must do ALL the things would in no way benefit the human being I wanted to be. It would only keep me in motion.
So instead of doing all the things, I did two: I folded some laundry and I made space for being. I sat my bum down on my pillow. I breathed, watched my breath, settled my heart, and watched its settling.
Then I asked it to speak to me about being.
Here’s what it said:
Here I am.
Just that.
Here I am.
Which says a lot about the faithfulness of the heart, doesn’t it?
There it is, always waiting for us, always prepared to be with us, always steady and yearning to love us. Just a smidge of attention offered to it— just one question— and the wisdom it offers is pure being. No requests, no judgments. No point of contention or where-have-you-been’s?
Only presence.
Our highest powers— by whatever name you call them— want to be with us.
So ask yourself, are you willing to be with them?
Once upon a time, I envisioned a universe that would be with me only if I deserved the company. Honestly, I wasn’t anxious for it. Being with the infinite felt like being caught by authority: I was either trying too hard or caught red-handed. My body closed shop around power structures. I sided instead with the trees, who seemed to grow upward persistently. Whether they grew a little bent or became the tallest tree in the world didn’t seem to matter to the tree. I could be like that.
And for many years, I did okay. Except trees keep good company with each other. And I became a lawyer… always poised for conflict.
Fortunately, I surrendered that profession. And I started the hard work of freeing my body of old fortifications. As the walls came down, my heart found relief. As my heart found relief, I found the divine. I am always in awe of its faith in me.
In all of us.
Which is why this inquiry into being versus doing feels important.
Imagine the quality of your presence to those waiting to love you, to connect with you, even to simply be with you. How do you show up? Are you hustling with activities and bursting with ideas? Do you come with suggestions, advice, and a long list of errands to share?
Or do you offer your ears and eyes to your waiting friend? Do you offer space to let things happen?
A while back, I created a Daily To-Be list. I share it with you now and encourage you to play with it. We all have lots of things to do. And it’s important that we do the things.
It’s also important that we remember our nature: we are beings, being. We are beings, being together. Most importantly, we are beings, becoming.
Sometimes, in all of our doing, we let our activities define us. What we do, we become. Driver, chef, housecleaner, warrior, teacher, lover. Our practices become us. Our worthiness requires activity.
But maybe the practice we miss is the practice of being. The practice that only our presence and reciprocates by bringing the profound within reach: to become complete human beings.
We are meant to be fully alive. We are meant to be connected and supportive and whole.
So how will you practice being?
Here are a few simple suggestions:
Sit quietly and ask your heart to speak to you.
Listen to the wind, or the words of your friends, or the song of the birds.
Contemplate the ways you open yourself to love, and the ways you don’t.
Contemplate the ways you share love, and the ways you don’t.
Contemplate what you expect in exchange for love shared or received.
I’d love to hear your thoughts and discoveries. How are you practicing being these days? What does your heart say when you give it a little space?
A gentle reminder to anyone interested… The second Caravan begins April 10 at 10am PDT/1pm EDT. Please join. We’ll meet on Fridays for six weeks. The cost is $50. Our topic: Yoga’s Rules of Conduct: the yamas and niyamas as guideposts on the path. Please send me a note if you’re interested. I look forward to being together.
I love you!