One of the best presents we can give ourselves

is that of being "present"

Photo by Daria Shevtsova on Unsplash

Before you begin reading, I invite you all to take a moment to think about all you have to be grateful for right now, right this second.

It's ok ill wait.

You see, right now, you are reading this message I sent out, and I am grateful for that alone.

We are present now, not thinking about the past or what's for breakfast, dinner, or work tomorrow.

No harm can come to us, and our minds don't wander into the damage that may come to us in the future.

That is when we can appreciate all we have in front of us and those around us, and our thought process slowly changes more positively.

Those intrusive thoughts are unwanted, disrupting our growth movements, and can affect us for hours and sometimes days.

Presence allows us to hold each moment, cherish it, and refuse to let our minds wander.

If we feel caught in past hurtful moments, presence brings us back to the here and now.

The past is something we cannot change, and the future is something we can only visualize (good or bad), but right now, we can feel and embrace this moment.

Scrolling on the phone while watching a movie or in the company of others switches our minds to something else entirely, a life away from our own, a photo or video that removes us from the people around us.

Forgetting to admire that sun rising or breaking through the clouds, each morning we wake to each step we take.

Not making eye contact when speaking to others, having long, fulfilling conversations and fully listening to the person talking, acknowledging what is coming up in the body and saying it out loud, or releasing it onto paper, indulge yourself in the present moment.

The mind has a habit of going into the what-if or if-only scenarios, things we cannot control, things that remove us from the here and now.

Love and respect yourself for who you are, and be kind to that person. Challenge those unwanted thoughts, for they may affect the present moment of what is around us. Those experiences are not here only in our minds.

When alone, notice how the body reacts and explore it all rather than push them away, for the here and now will allow us to study them closely so that our future selves will be thankful.

And guess what? Your future self is different from the one who began reading this email. The future is not about three months, six months, or next year, and it can be as different as 30 seconds from now, the power of the present moment.

Time is a great healer for sure, and however long it takes is unique and individual, as when we choose to begin that journey.

Presence brings us back to all we believe in, our morals, our values, and even our goals. If we have a long-term plan, it must start in the now.

Presence in our relationships adds that little extra, making memories last longer, for the feeling of that moment is genuinely felt and embraced. It adds vulnerability and intimacy to a moment that may have been missed.

Presence is the best present we can give ourselves.

And as this is not live, I appreciate you are all reading this at different moments, and for each moment, I send thanks and gratitude.

And I invite you all, once again, to ask yourself how and what you will allow yourself to be more present with this week.

And if the answer is "all things possible," then that is a journey more favorable.

As always, thanks for reading,

Marcus.