All relationships teach us something about Love. Our most difficult and/or longest lasting relationships are our Master Teachers. So long-term relationships of any kind offer innumerable opportunities for growth and learning. Learning about loving ourselves, about staying on our own path and about staying in the present, which lends itself to feeling more joy.
It’s tough to stay present when life feels as if it’s moving at an accelerated pace…..here we are, in this rocket we call Life, sometimes hanging on for dear life, or dear present-ness, much less taking in lessons about love and joy. The more I inhabit the present moment, the easier it is for me to stay grounded. The more grounded I feel, the more fully I am on my own path, the more I am able to tap into the support of all of the powerful loving energy of which we are an indivisible part. The more I am aware and allow the support of the waves of love and energy all around us, the less buffeted I feel.
So how do we sink into being present? We can always breathe, check in with the present moment, ask one of my favorite questions: what is happening right now? Is everything OK in this one moment? Yes, there are things to deal with and think about…..but right now, in this slice of Now, if I really notice, if I am really willing, all is well, everything is OK, I am not flying off the edge of the Universe. I am completely taken care of. And then I check in with the next moment and the next. This is the gift and beauty of being willing to be present. This practice creates a spaciousness, a softening to the racing of Life around us. It allows us to feel joy, in that exquisite, present moment, no matter what is happening around us. It allows us to sink into our true Nature of peace and love.
When I am not present, I worry, I get anxious and overwhelmed. I’m thinking lots of what ifs, telling myself stories that aren’t true, creating scenarios with my imaginings that don’t feel good. One particular incident really brought home this whole idea of being in the present moment, staying on my path, and how relationships are Master Teachers.
My husband is 26 years older than I am, and I’m 63 (so when you do the math…). In the past, I would often to say to him, apropos of nothing in particular: are you feeling OK? Are you all right? How are you doing? Of course I was reading something dire into everything, worrying about his health, his age, worrying about him dying. (Not that there’s any guarantees in life about who dies first.) After months of this he looked at me and said: One day, I will die my one death. Don’t have me die a thousand deaths before my one death!
I got the message. It kicked me squarely back to the present, back onto my own path, and the possibility for inhabiting – and enjoying – this moment. Just as it is.
I invite you to take a breath and just feel what is truly happening in this moment, just this present moment….