Presence

​Today is Day 30 and I almost procrastinated putting this post up until tomorrow.  Today was a long day, I was super immersed in getting things done for work while working from home, bedtime for Audrey was tough tonight and she ended up not going down until wayyy past her bedtime and my husband and I seemed to be taking turns all day getting on each other's last nerve.  It was just one of those days.  

I was so tired and caught myself zoning out on my phone scrolling through social media and honestly just being mindless about it all.  Earlier in the day I said that I was going to take a long, candlelit bath tonight once I was done with everything.  I do this sometimes as an evening meditation of sorts and a way to wind down and give some self-care.  During my mindless scrolling I was really close to scrapping the bath and just climbing into bed, still with the grit of the day on my body and in my mind.  

Just a couple of days ago, I listened to Ange Peter's podcast How to own your Phone....and not have it own you.  It was a lot about ways to keep our phone use in check but at the heart she spoke about how just being present is one of the most productive things we can ever do for ourselves.  Our phone makes it incredibly easy to not be present, and for many of us, in moments when we don't want to just sit with what is, we can quickly and easily turn to the mindlessness of the slot machine like scroll.  This podcast resonated with me so much that as soon as it finished, I deleted Facebook from my phone, turned off all alerts and organized all of my apps into folders on the first screen so I don't even have to scroll to find what I need and have to be intentional with what I am trying to find.  I even turned off my email alerts and have made the decision that I am going to check my mail only at certain times during the day.  Basically I am on a mission to get my screen time down and to not have my smartphone be an extension of my own arm.  It's already hard.  

But back to the bath.  After that little voice in my head reminded me of what Ange said about the most productive people are the ones who choose presence with what is, even in the smallest moments (hello, no more taking the phone into the bathroom!) I knew that if I was going to adhere to this mission, I had to take the bath.  And I did.  And as I was lying there I knew that I had to write my final post for this 30 day challenge to myself on the day I am supposed to.  I knew I just had to get present with myself and my commitment

And so I am writing the final post of the challenge about presence and how this daily action of blogging has actually supported me and inspired me to be present.  Oh and to say that this is not my final post because while I have done the 30 days in a row, this blog is quickly becoming the backbone of all that I have to offer in my work.  So while I am unplugging in many ways, I am also plugging in, in stronger and more impactful ways.  I hope that what I have to share and offer on this blog, creates the space and inspiration for us all to get more present in our lives.  I know it seems ironic for a blogger to basically say, hey get off your device, aka stop reading my blog!  But I am saying it, because I want you to come here with the intention of wanting to be inspired and ignited to rising to your highest self and your utmost presence in this life while we are lucky enough to have it.  

So tonight I will sleep well knowing I was present with a challenge for 30 days and tomorrow I will wake up knowing how lucky I am that it starts all over again because it means there is more work to be done, more learning to discover, more to create and so much to be present for. 

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