take a pause, now

Day Five

You are Alive

Pause and know this….

You are a human BEING, not a human Doing

1. 

When I was just a wee junior in college, I’d transferred to Stanford. This was a step down for my family, and even then I was realizing, though not with the happiness and freedom I now have, that we all have to live the life We are meant to live.

Not the life our parents, or society, or so-called friends, or even our mate, imagines that we should live.

And in the fall of my junior year, a friend asked me to a study group on a book called, Gestalt Therapy. A bright orange book, with three authors, this book had theory and practices.

One of the practices changed my life.

I was a smart guy, and used to being in my head with plans and thoughts about the past and scheduling the next class and homework. I didn’t really know how to be present, except in sex or in sports.

And the book said to try this:  “For five minutes, just write down, or say…. 

‘Now I am aware….’

and fill in the blank.”

This is easy.

This is a delight.

This brings us to the present, because we are always aware of something.

And then later, once I’d moved to the country with my new wife, and we lived on land with apricot trees and pine trees up a hill, and we created a garden, I became very clear that getting out in nature was a path to peace, harmony and happiness.

Even later, in Sonoma in the late 1990’s, there was a group sharing event once on month. People sang, or recited poetry, or gave little speeches. The time limit was five minutes, so everyone go a turn.

I wrote pseudo poems and realized that I always wrote three and they were always about either

Now

Nature

Love

This, I realized, was my holy trinity.

And so, this is your exercise for today.

And for the rest of your life.

Enlightenment Game #1:

Take a pause.

Go outside if you can.

Sit, or stand or walk in nature.

Be present.

Don’t think about plans. Don’t think about what you’ve just done.

Just be present.

You might want to do the game of “Now I am aware…” and finishing it.

Or you might want to simply sit in as much stillness as comes to you.

Make sure you follow your breathing.

This is very calming.

This is great evidence that you are alive.

Feel your body in gravity.

This is very calming.

On Earth we are always in gravity on this planet Earth.

Look out at trees, or leaves, or the sky, or clouds.

See nature.

Let it in.

Do nothing.

Just BE.

This is wonderful. This is a gift.

Pause.

Sit or walk outside if you can.

Sit or walk very slowly inside.

Be present to your body, and your breathing and to gravity.

Take this as a chance to be a human BEING.

This is your right.

Take this pause, take this break often.

You deserve it.

And it will refresh you.

And even if it didn’t, you deserve it.

Enjoy being yourself.

Right now.