Where I live in Maine, I hear many crows calling throughout the day. I’ve always liked them, and a few years ago I opened myself to a deeper relationship. Now their caws have become my “mindfulness bell.” They come when I don’t anticipate them, break into my awareness, and remind me “Wake up! Are you here, right here, or are you lost somewhere else in your mind?” As best as I can remember to do it, I stop, breathe, and come into the present. I think of Hineni, a Hebrew word frequently said by characters in the Old Testament when called on by the Holy--I am here, I am willing. Thank you, crows, for reminding me.
I love the idea of wearing something to remind yourself to be in the internal now. yes we all tend to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of things and forget to slow down and breath and be in the internal now. I unfortunately can not wear something on my wrist or hands in my line of work except for one thing, so I have something else that I use to remind myself.... my watch. it has a notification that reminds me every so often to take a moment and breathe. I love it and I'm able to slow down wherever I am and come back "home". I also have a picture on my lock screen on my phone of you and I Carrie which is also a reminder for me....ahhh yes " I'm home". You are such a great reminder for me Carrie. Thank you for sharing this practice.
Your reminder about using something; a bracelet or another object that is with us always, reminded me of Thich Nhat Hanh's suggestion to do the same — using sounds like the phone ringing or a knock on the door, to take a moment and become aware of the breath, of feelings or thoughts. It's so easy to forget that this moment, this eternal moment, is the only moment we ever really have and to be present for it. To notice our surroundings, our thoughts, our footsteps as our feet touch the earth. Funnily enough, I moved recently and a friend gave me a mala bracelet. When I read your piece, I thought, oh, yes. I am wearing it a lot — what a perfect object to help me stop and pay attention. Thanks, Carrie, for the inspiration to remember. Again. And again.
Again. Remembering not once and for all, but over and over. As I watched all the walkers on the lake this morning, I saw suddenly the amazing sky-break behind them, brilliant dawn colors, and just had to stop. Shouldn't you stop and say thank you when "someone" does something lovely? And EVERY morning?! And to be here - awake and aware in this moment? I decided after reading your post, Carrie, to take a marker and write "You ARE here" on the floor mat at my kitchen sink. "It is good to BE here. Right now."
I'm a little concerned about being hard on myself and feeling guilty about not being in the present more. I have a tendency to daydream, which can be a very creative process. However, when I do come back to the present, it sort of takes me by surprise. Let's say I'm cleaning house. I realize that I'm actually enjoying it, instead of wanting to get it over with. The reason for this is that I've come back to the present moment of cleaning. How this happened, I'm not sure. I think it might have something to do with being more comfortable with who I am, comfortable in my body. So it's sort of like allowing myself to be comfortable in the present. I think meditation can help with this.
Im glad to hear that you are learning to give yourself more grace with the practice of presence. I love the word practice because it doesnt imply perfection, it only implies intention. I have a good intention to be more present in my life, but I day dream too, and forget when Im distracted. And so being kind to myself, reminding myself that it’s a practice that I do because I so love how I feel and what I encounter when present. I love the idea of being present when doing a daily task like cleaning and finding something beautiful in the practice. Presence expands us, and self compassion and encouragement is part of what gets expanded in the practice. At least thats how I experience it. Thanks for posting Michael.
Beautiful reminder, thank you Carrie. And so humble. We are all perfectly imperfect. A simple practice I learned and find helpful: Inhale while reciting silently "I am..." then exhale while reciting silently "home."
Yum, yum, yum... thank you so much! One of my favorite practices these days, is the Jewish practice of saying a blessing AFTER a meal (in addition to, the one BEFORE the meal). Savoring the lingering taste in the mouth, a felt sense of light fullness in the belly... In Jewish renewal circles, the English words to one of the after-meal song blessings are: "You are the source of... all Life that is... and your Blessings... flow through me".
This reminds me of my friend, Lana Reed’s terminology and class called “Happily Ever Now” offered through RCY. Returning “home” to the present moment and to our authentic self is true bliss. In it is a sense of wonder and oneness; how wonderful to know one can return to this place anytime and “be the dance.”
Thank you Carrie. “ Home is were the Heart is!” a quote I try to remember, and it grounds me in the present. We all to often think the “ Grass is greener on the other side.” It can be and other places can be fruitful, exciting, or even rewarding! Knowing where your heart is keeps you focused on what is of value.
Oh Carrie...I SO appreciate your post today! It's been increasingly difficult in recent years to be based in the "eternal now." It's not only the day to day busyness but also the constant clamor of troubling political news and the regression I see in treatment of marginalized people. Worries about what the future holds are also intensified by my recent battle with Ovarian Cancer. Will I stay in remission? Will our democracy survive?
It's strange but a disheartening development helped me find my way home. The antibodies that fought my cancer mistook irregular retinal cells for a possible metastasis and I began to lose my eyesight this year. We have finally found the right combination of drugs to adequately suppress my immune system but the loss of sight in my left eye and some of my right eye is irreversible. The irony is that as I've lost my sight, I've been able to expand my vision. To be safe in my surroundings, I need to move more slowly, rotate my head, and look more closely at all I encounter. As a result, I find myself "seeing" things I'd formerly missed - the reblooming of the dogwood tree that folks had given up on, the tiny bunny that looked back at me wondering when I'd be leaving the "buffet," the tiny girl gently steering her grandmother up the wooden stairs from the beach. The "noticing" brings me to the present .....with all it's delights and the calm I've come to appreciate so very much. Thank you Carrie for today's reminder and all the times your music "brings me home."
Eckhart Tolle's book "The Power Of Now" helped to shape my understanding and practice of the NOW. And the Buddhist practices of Mindfulness especially taught by Pema Chodron-Thich Nhat Hahn and others. Breath is my bracelet. It allows me to step into a spaciousness that can only be known as NOW. This breath. This exhale. This moment....and then love arises. AKA Connection and Intimacy.
I’m sitting here on my back porch. There was just enough light for me to read in "The Four Vision Quests of Jesus" by Steven Charleston. A sentence washed over me. One that requires a pause, so I placed it open in my lap. I listen. My awareness expands. Peck, peck, peck drills a woodpecker hunting for its breakfast. A branch from a maple tree, fallen in the last wind, is dangling intertwined in the hemlock waiting to be retrieved. A train whistles in the distance. The flutter of wings heading to and fro from the bird feeder to the wisteria captures my attention. The neighborhood is not awake yet. I’m glad. It is a wonder. In this moment, all that I hear, all that I see, all that I ponder, allows me to be excruciatingly aware of the dailyness of things. At the same time, there is the wonder of vastness, and how much I still don’t know and understand, and how I long to be part of the solution. Tears well up in my eyes, as I let myself feel the whole thing. I’m learning through this book that a true vision quest starts with a lament. It starts with accepting the naked truth of who I am in any given, present moment, and adding my longing for the cords of reconciliation to be strengthened and repaired. I am being brought back to the importance of listening with a hope and faith that as I keep moving, as I keep asking, as I keep myself vulnerable enough to trust and maintain a willingness to share, healing will come. Somehow all of us will come to understand in spite of the myriad of perspectives, the conflicting views and the need to be right. Somehow, somehow, love finds the way.
Thank you Carrie for the nudge… for the permission to begin today in wonder.
Thank you Carrie, this is a perfect practice. Perfect timing also. We just finished our summer mindfulness retreat yesterday. 14 like-minded people sending 6 hours together in nature.
Our practice? "Everything nature".
Including ourselves. Just being present with what is. Our gratitude, our laughter, our silence, our awe. Coming together in community is a lifestyle. My wife and I host these retreats several times a year. We have a perfect vehicle to drive ourselves home, Nature!
It is a passion of ours to share this gift with others. You are right, we will forget, but we are capable of so much more. Life is a practice, and practice makes perfect, maybe just for a little while. Welcome home...
Where I live in Maine, I hear many crows calling throughout the day. I’ve always liked them, and a few years ago I opened myself to a deeper relationship. Now their caws have become my “mindfulness bell.” They come when I don’t anticipate them, break into my awareness, and remind me “Wake up! Are you here, right here, or are you lost somewhere else in your mind?” As best as I can remember to do it, I stop, breathe, and come into the present. I think of Hineni, a Hebrew word frequently said by characters in the Old Testament when called on by the Holy--I am here, I am willing. Thank you, crows, for reminding me.
I love the idea of wearing something to remind yourself to be in the internal now. yes we all tend to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of things and forget to slow down and breath and be in the internal now. I unfortunately can not wear something on my wrist or hands in my line of work except for one thing, so I have something else that I use to remind myself.... my watch. it has a notification that reminds me every so often to take a moment and breathe. I love it and I'm able to slow down wherever I am and come back "home". I also have a picture on my lock screen on my phone of you and I Carrie which is also a reminder for me....ahhh yes " I'm home". You are such a great reminder for me Carrie. Thank you for sharing this practice.
Your reminder about using something; a bracelet or another object that is with us always, reminded me of Thich Nhat Hanh's suggestion to do the same — using sounds like the phone ringing or a knock on the door, to take a moment and become aware of the breath, of feelings or thoughts. It's so easy to forget that this moment, this eternal moment, is the only moment we ever really have and to be present for it. To notice our surroundings, our thoughts, our footsteps as our feet touch the earth. Funnily enough, I moved recently and a friend gave me a mala bracelet. When I read your piece, I thought, oh, yes. I am wearing it a lot — what a perfect object to help me stop and pay attention. Thanks, Carrie, for the inspiration to remember. Again. And again.
Again. Remembering not once and for all, but over and over. As I watched all the walkers on the lake this morning, I saw suddenly the amazing sky-break behind them, brilliant dawn colors, and just had to stop. Shouldn't you stop and say thank you when "someone" does something lovely? And EVERY morning?! And to be here - awake and aware in this moment? I decided after reading your post, Carrie, to take a marker and write "You ARE here" on the floor mat at my kitchen sink. "It is good to BE here. Right now."
I'm a little concerned about being hard on myself and feeling guilty about not being in the present more. I have a tendency to daydream, which can be a very creative process. However, when I do come back to the present, it sort of takes me by surprise. Let's say I'm cleaning house. I realize that I'm actually enjoying it, instead of wanting to get it over with. The reason for this is that I've come back to the present moment of cleaning. How this happened, I'm not sure. I think it might have something to do with being more comfortable with who I am, comfortable in my body. So it's sort of like allowing myself to be comfortable in the present. I think meditation can help with this.
Im glad to hear that you are learning to give yourself more grace with the practice of presence. I love the word practice because it doesnt imply perfection, it only implies intention. I have a good intention to be more present in my life, but I day dream too, and forget when Im distracted. And so being kind to myself, reminding myself that it’s a practice that I do because I so love how I feel and what I encounter when present. I love the idea of being present when doing a daily task like cleaning and finding something beautiful in the practice. Presence expands us, and self compassion and encouragement is part of what gets expanded in the practice. At least thats how I experience it. Thanks for posting Michael.
For the Practice I wear one of my cat’s old collars on my wrist. Cats live in the now.
Beautiful reminder, thank you Carrie. And so humble. We are all perfectly imperfect. A simple practice I learned and find helpful: Inhale while reciting silently "I am..." then exhale while reciting silently "home."
I love this logan. Breathe in “I am,” breathe out “home”. So lovely. I’ll be trying that tomorrow.
Yum, yum, yum... thank you so much! One of my favorite practices these days, is the Jewish practice of saying a blessing AFTER a meal (in addition to, the one BEFORE the meal). Savoring the lingering taste in the mouth, a felt sense of light fullness in the belly... In Jewish renewal circles, the English words to one of the after-meal song blessings are: "You are the source of... all Life that is... and your Blessings... flow through me".
Coming back to the present feels like relief, feels like a rush of soul, being home when you open your door coming in from a journey. ❤️
This reminds me of my friend, Lana Reed’s terminology and class called “Happily Ever Now” offered through RCY. Returning “home” to the present moment and to our authentic self is true bliss. In it is a sense of wonder and oneness; how wonderful to know one can return to this place anytime and “be the dance.”
Thank you Carrie. “ Home is were the Heart is!” a quote I try to remember, and it grounds me in the present. We all to often think the “ Grass is greener on the other side.” It can be and other places can be fruitful, exciting, or even rewarding! Knowing where your heart is keeps you focused on what is of value.
Oh Carrie...I SO appreciate your post today! It's been increasingly difficult in recent years to be based in the "eternal now." It's not only the day to day busyness but also the constant clamor of troubling political news and the regression I see in treatment of marginalized people. Worries about what the future holds are also intensified by my recent battle with Ovarian Cancer. Will I stay in remission? Will our democracy survive?
It's strange but a disheartening development helped me find my way home. The antibodies that fought my cancer mistook irregular retinal cells for a possible metastasis and I began to lose my eyesight this year. We have finally found the right combination of drugs to adequately suppress my immune system but the loss of sight in my left eye and some of my right eye is irreversible. The irony is that as I've lost my sight, I've been able to expand my vision. To be safe in my surroundings, I need to move more slowly, rotate my head, and look more closely at all I encounter. As a result, I find myself "seeing" things I'd formerly missed - the reblooming of the dogwood tree that folks had given up on, the tiny bunny that looked back at me wondering when I'd be leaving the "buffet," the tiny girl gently steering her grandmother up the wooden stairs from the beach. The "noticing" brings me to the present .....with all it's delights and the calm I've come to appreciate so very much. Thank you Carrie for today's reminder and all the times your music "brings me home."
Eckhart Tolle's book "The Power Of Now" helped to shape my understanding and practice of the NOW. And the Buddhist practices of Mindfulness especially taught by Pema Chodron-Thich Nhat Hahn and others. Breath is my bracelet. It allows me to step into a spaciousness that can only be known as NOW. This breath. This exhale. This moment....and then love arises. AKA Connection and Intimacy.
Love “breath is my bracelet.
I’m sitting here on my back porch. There was just enough light for me to read in "The Four Vision Quests of Jesus" by Steven Charleston. A sentence washed over me. One that requires a pause, so I placed it open in my lap. I listen. My awareness expands. Peck, peck, peck drills a woodpecker hunting for its breakfast. A branch from a maple tree, fallen in the last wind, is dangling intertwined in the hemlock waiting to be retrieved. A train whistles in the distance. The flutter of wings heading to and fro from the bird feeder to the wisteria captures my attention. The neighborhood is not awake yet. I’m glad. It is a wonder. In this moment, all that I hear, all that I see, all that I ponder, allows me to be excruciatingly aware of the dailyness of things. At the same time, there is the wonder of vastness, and how much I still don’t know and understand, and how I long to be part of the solution. Tears well up in my eyes, as I let myself feel the whole thing. I’m learning through this book that a true vision quest starts with a lament. It starts with accepting the naked truth of who I am in any given, present moment, and adding my longing for the cords of reconciliation to be strengthened and repaired. I am being brought back to the importance of listening with a hope and faith that as I keep moving, as I keep asking, as I keep myself vulnerable enough to trust and maintain a willingness to share, healing will come. Somehow all of us will come to understand in spite of the myriad of perspectives, the conflicting views and the need to be right. Somehow, somehow, love finds the way.
Thank you Carrie for the nudge… for the permission to begin today in wonder.
Beautiful post
Thank you Carrie, this is a perfect practice. Perfect timing also. We just finished our summer mindfulness retreat yesterday. 14 like-minded people sending 6 hours together in nature.
Our practice? "Everything nature".
Including ourselves. Just being present with what is. Our gratitude, our laughter, our silence, our awe. Coming together in community is a lifestyle. My wife and I host these retreats several times a year. We have a perfect vehicle to drive ourselves home, Nature!
It is a passion of ours to share this gift with others. You are right, we will forget, but we are capable of so much more. Life is a practice, and practice makes perfect, maybe just for a little while. Welcome home...
Thank you.