On Being Present

Dec 242010
 

It’s ironic that in our quest to find the perfect present people sometimes render themselves completely ‘absent.’

Racing around, over-scheduling, over-spending, eating fast food instead of what nourishes us…YIKES!  How many ways can we use “creating to perfect holiday” to numb ourselves and detach?

I’ve run this video before but it touches me enough to repeat on Christmas Eve day – partly because it’s a reminder that many of us can use every day and partly because I counted more that two dozen SPECIAL LAST MINUTE GIFT OFFERS in my inbox this morning.  Enough already!

Granted, I’ve been told that I’m not aggressive enough with my marketing.  Maybe I’m not.  But I won’t lie and call myself “the world’s leading expert” on anything.  I believe in what I do and what I write. But most importantly, I believe in you.  And I think it’s just rude to smack you in the face with one more commercial.

So, here you go…  enjoy.

A man played his violin in the subway.  He played for 45 minutes while more than a thousand people passed through on the way to work. Fewer than ten of those people stopped. About 30 put money in his case, netting him a little over $32.

The musician was the world-famous Joshua Bell, playing the same music he plays in concert halls where tickets sell for $100 each. The instrument he used is valued at more than $3 million. Washington Post writer Gene Weingarten was the mastermind behind the experiment. The Post received a Pulitzer for the story.

Weingarten’s questions had to do with perception of quality, choices and priorities. People familiar with the story have also asked ‘If we are too busy to notice a world class musician, what else are we missing?’

My point?

Are there wonderful things that are going on right under our noses?  Stop. Take a deep breath. Notice. Enjoy.  Be more present.  That’s a gift you can give every day.


When Your Heart Breaks Make… Love

Sep 112010
 

I was the director of an agency serving people impacted by violence. My commute had been spectacularly beautiful — bright, shiny beginning-of-semester day with a vivid blue sky. My son called me between the two crashes. When I shared the news with colleagues someone asked why I was crying. “Because our country is going to war,” I said.

Later that day I had to speak to a women’s business group. The best we could do was be together and talk about what happens to people when they experience random violence. It changes them.

I was able to spend part of the next day with my then almost 90-year old grandfather, undeniably one of the most loving, positive people to ever walk the planet. He called it “the worst thing that could ever happen.” We lost him soon after.

When I went home it was to a man who was furious at all of us for ‘making such a big deal out of this.’ Yep. Really.

Random violence changes people and today I am thinking about some of the ways that day changed my life. While not as dramatic as many, there have been some significant changes.

My son had a job offer halfway across the country. Two days later, as planned, he left. As much as I wanted to, I did not go insane with worry. In fact, I often think of that phone call and the depth of our connection.

I no longer run a domestic violence agency. Living full time in that much pain made me a less effective human being. I am committed to doing things that work.

I got “uncoupled” in a hurry. (See above.)

I wrote a book for parents — positive, uplifting, supportive. My work now has to do with different way to help people (especially kids) to prepare for life’s ‘ups and downs.’ To be more resilient.

I felt an overwhelming need to make peace anywhere I could. One way? I reached back into my past to finish some unfinished business. In the course of doing that I re-discovered my best friend, we fell in love and got married.

I try to be more aware and more congruent — to do things that bring joy and add value. I do not view that as selfish but as necessary if I am going to improve anything for anyone else. I think about how often the Dalai Lama laughs.

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p.s. My son’s site also has a beautiful tribute to those who serve but evidently I do not have the right version of WP to give you a direct link. Sorry. If you want to see 6 minutes of a community reaching out in love click here to get to his landing page, then click categories, then troops. And while I have been a proud Momma, telling people about his site, really I just want you to see and share the video. I’ll go back to shamelessly promoting his work on Monday.

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