A lesson I learned late (but not too late) in life is the value of being present. Too often I avoided a gathering, a reunion, or a celebration because the introvert in me said “Just stay home”. Even worse, I was physically present far more often but my mind was elsewhere, absent from the people or situations around me.
Then I purchased a children’s book for Mia, my friends’ daughter. It concludes:
“There is only one important time, and that time is now. The most important one is always the one you are with. And the most important thing is to do good for the one standing at your side.”
— Leo the Turtle in The Three Questions by John Muth
The book presented so simply the essence of Taoism; it also reminded me of a piece from Hemingway:
“Try to breathe deeply, really to taste the food when you eat, and when you sleep, to really sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell. And when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.”
Presence: My resolution for 2024.
My Thoughts and the Thoughts of Others 