“Take a deep breath. Get present in the moment and ask yourself what is important this very second.” Greg McKeown
When I chose presence as my word for 2023, I thought it would be a challenge. But I underestimated that challenge.
I have always functioned well in the early morning.
I like to get up early and coffee is the first thought out of a sleep-dulled brain. One of the joys of retirement is the free time to sit, sip, and speculate. Newspapers are no longer delivered and that is unfortunate. A friend shares her paper–which comes in the mail–so yes, the news has already been aired the night before and that morning. The crossword is still enjoyable. For years I felt that I needed to finish that before starting any other projects. Without that paper arriving early, that habit went right out the window.
So, I usually turn to Wordle and glance through some email… Already I’m not living in a state of “present”, but veering off in different directions like a cat chasing a toy. Then it occurs to me that I haven’t had breakfast yet! I don’t have as many obligations these days, but I function better with some scheduling. Since stopping some of my volunteer work, this has been a struggle. A day when I have an appointment–even a dental one–gives me form and focus to the day. I will finish chores quickly because I need to be ready to leave. But when I come home, I feel like I’ve done something worthwhile already, and I don’t really want to start any big jobs. If I haven’t assigned myself to query an agent with my book or some other specific task, I will be bouncing again between Instagram and the notes on my desk.
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