Don't Just Sit There, DO NOTHING by Jessie Asya Kanzer

Author:Jessie Asya Kanzer
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781612834733
Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing

The Luxury of Presence

I love those moments in life that take me out of my funhouse of a mind, out of myself in a sense—away from all the sensitivity and overanalysis. That is why I enjoyed acting and why I threw myself into painting and drawing as a kid. It's why traveling, especially the adventurous kind, feels like a break for the brain, as do experiences of flow.

But when we are busy adulting and keeping up with our chaotic world, these other-worldly instances are fewer than we'd like. So what is the antidote?

The solution, once again, is presence. After all, the reason a state of flow is so appealing is because it takes us out of our problems and concerns, our daily grind, and lands us smack in the middle of the present moment. However, glimpses of this mindfulness can be incorporated into our everyday lives, as we wash dishes, tend to the children, or run from one meeting to another.

“Open yourself to the Tao, then trust your natural responses,” said Lao Tzu—an opportunity which exists in the space between stimulus and response. If we can tap into that moment, if we can enter that space, our response will come from our higher selves (versus our base selves). It will allow us to move from mindlessness to mindfulness.

By being less reactive, we get to remain in the peace and joy we've been cultivating. I mean, we'll inevitably get knocked out of it, but that's why we arm ourselves with practices which get us back to equanimity as swiftly as possible.

Remember: nothing matters more than how you feel. Nothing.

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