I know I said I was walking away from my computer for a few days...but...well. It's been a day. I couldn't stay away! There have been so many things this week sparking thoughts and ideas, and I wanted to share them.
What does living life to the fullest mean? How does one grab life by the horns, so to speak? I sometimes find myself physically here...but my mind is elsewhere, engaged in some repetitive thought process (but not necessarily moving forward).
It seems the solution comes down to the importance of being present. Staying in the moment.
A friend via the internets said this in a post:
"It all comes back to being present. You can't appreciate anything if you're not here for it. Once you're present, notice that you have a body, that life is a miracle, appreciate (and express that appreciation, share in that of others) or marvel at the absurdity that there is so much suffering and yet we go on living our lives. Let go of your story, be your joyful essence. None of that can happen without presence. - Brodie Welch
And that was just what I needed to hear. Especially "Let go of your story." That really hit me...I'm still formulating an articulate way to address that one. But it's profound. I would love to get out of my head, out of my story, and just BE. If I could just get a better grasp of this concept, I feel that I could get more out of every moment because I'm able to put more of myself into it. So, how?
(Wow, this ginger tea is really good. Especially with a giant spoonful of honey. Super tasty local honey, I might add.)
(Wow, this ginger tea is really good. Especially with a giant spoonful of honey. Super tasty local honey, I might add.)
What is at the forefront of my mind is this: when performing music, to really deliver the song I must be present. I know I could improve this. Now I want your feedback. (I think I figured out how to add space for comments below the post.) Please tell me:
How do you stay in the moment?
This is from my friend Michael, who had trouble with the comment form, but I wanted to share it:
ReplyDelete"One has a finite amount of energy and it can be easily wasted on looking back or on trying to predict the future. Yes, you can learn from the past and you can do things in the here and now to influence the future – although they may or may not have any impact.
To be present I notice what is going on around me. I focus on what I am doing and not anything else. So, no eating while reading or typing with the TV on for example. To get into ‘flow’ as they call it I deliberately notice what I am doing, what I can see, smell, taste, hear and how I am feeling. I get this while surfing, running or sailing. Its the ONLY thing I can think about and I pay close to attention to all my senses. It takes practice, especially when I am sad and wallowing in self-pity (a hole I fall into more often than I would wish). You have to keep practising at noticing. I also sometimes ‘get on the balcony’ and watch myself from there, seeing how I am behaving and interacting with the stimuli around me.
This way I refresh my energy."
This is profound and takes a lot of thinking! One way I find myself doing it, especially when I am with others, is I focus on listening. Really listening, not forming what I am going to say next, but trying to hear what is not being said. So sometimes the focus needs to be NOT on YOU. It is hard. We tend to wander and meander and form thoughts, ideas and whole conversations in our head and sometimes miss something really important. I also find that when I am wallowing and feeling sorry for myself, I need to step back and look at someone else's perspective instead of my own. It often opens my eyes and helps me to see another's point of view instead of being so me focused. Don't know if that helps. I don't know how to apply it to music or performing, I am just voicing from what I know about me!
ReplyDeleteThose are great thoughts. I like this: "Sometimes the focus needs to be NOT on YOU." Good advice for me...
ReplyDeleteI try to do this with my children. There's so much repetition in parenting, and honestly, I become desensitized to my kids. When I'm with them and I notice myself drifting away, I try focusing on a single detail as if I've never been exposed to it before. Often it's a facial feature - the curve of a cheek, the color of a lip. From there I widen my perspective, trying to focus with enough attention to crowd out preconceptions. I let myself react and respond as if it is totally fresh. I notice things that are normally overlooked as I rush off to the next task, things like my baby's pride and delight as he accomplishes a new task, one that requires a new skill. And I'm there, and I experience myself more fully, and my reactions are far more intense, almost overwhelming.
ReplyDeleteIt's always a balancing act Katie. I have and i'm sure ill keep thinking on this subject through out my life. I always like the moments when you seem to take in everything, and have no thoughts on past or future, you just are! That is an amazing feeling.
ReplyDeleteBreath... Notice how effortlessly the air comes in to your lungs... How it goes out with no conscious direction on your part...
ReplyDeleteAlso, I like "A New Earth" by Ekhart Tolle...
If you are interested in learning to be present more of the time, I highly recommend it. You can also listen to a series of interviews with the author here: http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/A-New-Earth-Syllabus
My friend Amy's reply here, on her blog:
ReplyDeletehttp://artistinthearctic.blogspot.com/2012/01/that-is-question-isnt-it.html
"We live constantly in our minds. We manufacture about 70,000 thoughts a day! When we’re thinking, we are not in the present moment." - Namaste Now
ReplyDelete