This morning while deep in thought, my mind on autopilot, I put dog food in the cat food dish. When I looked into Ahab’s confused eyes as he sniffed the offending meal, I was snapped back into the moment. I don’t even remember what thoughts had been occupying my mind at the time. But, they sure weren’t connected to what my physical body was doing. It felt good to return fully to the moment. I enjoyed watching Ahab take that first bite of his breakfast and the feel the softness of his fur as ran my hand down his back.
Has this every happened to you? Has your body ever through the motions while your mind is in a completely different place. Have you ever walked into a room and not remembered how or why you were there? Or, been in conversation with a loved one only to realize that you had no idea what they were saying as your mind had been preoccupied? Have no fear! You are not alone.
As humans, we can all find our minds and bodies engaged in separate activities at the same time. The human brain is designed to think. So, it does. The body is good at doing. So, it does. However, when we split our attention between thinking and doing we can lose something important: the experience of being.
Allowing the body and mind to connect, to synchronize, creates a completely new experience. Had I not returned my mind to the present this morning, I would have missed the calming contentment of petting my beloved cat and relishing in his first bite of food. This moment of present pleasure, this gift of presence, helped set the tone for the next 45 minutes of my day.
Imagine small bits of fully-experienced, in-the-moment, body-mind synchronized enjoyment sprinkled throughout your day. How would your days be different? If every hour, or two, or three, you became completely aware and engaged in a pleasurable moment, even for just a moment, how may your perspective change? Would it? Try it: Give yourself the gift of presence a few times each day, every day for a week. Let me know how it goes.
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