280. Praying to Be Present
It’s easy to not be present—to not be where you are. It’s easy to think of yesterday and about whether it went well or poorly. It’s easy to worry about three hours from now or even tomorrow.
But the secret is to arrive—to actually be where you are.
Occasionally I am asked to start a meeting with a prayer. And I say, “Sure,” and then, “Let us pray.” And as people bow their heads, and I bow mine, I take at least an entire minute of silence, and then as I start to pray out loud, I often say, “God—help us to arrive here—all of us—all the parts of us….”
And slowly you can almost feel the arrival of persons, myself included. I can take a breath and let go of the planning or the worrying, let go of the regrets, and just be present.
Right now the sky is blue, the sun is bright, and the day is crisp, and I want to be—to be where I am—right now—in this day.
