Stay here

It might have been a defense mechanism, or it might have been a survival technique... I'm not sure.  The upshot is that over the past several years, I have learned to be more present than I would have ever considered necessary.  I used to think that being present meant staying in one place physically.  Like raising your hand in class when the teacher calls your name, acknowledging that you are now in your seat and ready to start the day.  It is a way of saying that we are in the current place right now.  What has happened for me is that there has been so much going on, things moving quickly... instead of being overwhelmed, I have learned to take one thing at a time - to focus on what is in front of me at the moment.  I do some planning ahead to make sure I can be places I need to be and the airfares are cheap, don't get me wrong.  I don't plan each moment of my day.  I allow things to unfold.  By staying present/here/now I have been able to accomplish much more, bring more of myself to everything I do and offer more to the people around me.  We can't spend our time in some other time and be completely who we are.  I had to let that go to more completely have the experiences I found myself in every day and not be crushed by self-doubt, disappointment, or expectation.  I stopped and learned to stay.  I then found miracles everywhere.