To be in the presence of another person is a gift. When we give them our undivided attention, we are showing our respect and appreciation for them. This is one of the ways that love becomes present in our lives every day. We make the most of every moment when we give it our undivided attention. And so it is with each day we live. It is one of the reasons why I love doing private sessions with people, to be able to give them my undivided attention, to appreciate every moment of our interaction, and to be able to know that that focus has made a difference.
When I work at parties and events, one of the things I have trained myself to do is to keep my attention focused on the person who is sitting with me, and filter out the sound and the traffic from elsewhere in the room. Some people have great difficulty doing that, so they do not work events and parties. In order to shift your focus, you must simply be able to give one hundred percent of your attention to the other person. In turn, they will engage at that level to hear what is being said. When we are able to do this, we can achieve a clearer level of communication and a better understanding between us.
Now consider focusing on every day in the same way. Each day, we get the most out of it by appreciating every moment and every thing we do. If we are working we focus on what we are doing while we are doing it. And when we are going out to do something fun, we focus our intention on being with who we are with and doing what we are doing.
I carry that same intention into my awareness of every day. There is something beautiful and special about all of the holidays during this time of year. Halloween is beautiful and special and laden with meaning as well as entertainment and so we savor the pleasure of all the joy of the costumes and pageantry and honor the spiritual aspects of this holiday, for those of us who do enjoy Day of the Dead or Samhain spiritual celebrations which are ways to honor those people who were close to us who died during the past year.
Then, as we progress into November, we are enjoying the fullness of autumn and the holiday of Thanksgiving. I have always loved this holiday because it is so pure and simple. It is about expressing appreciation and gratitude for our lives and what good things that have happened to us. That joy can also encourage us to enjoy the fresh start we may be working our way through after then end of a relationship that was not working out well or a new career change or health challenge we are navigating. How beautiful Thanksgiving is, being focused around having dinner with people we enjoy being with, the family and friends who are part of our lives. After dinner we turn our attention to games, conversation, music or other ways that we enjoy each other's company.
In the years when my work was transferring me to different cities where I had no friends or relatives, we would often organize "orphan parties" which meant that those of us who worked together and did not have family or close friends in the area would get together for a potluck dinner and social time. Those were some wonderful days too, when we all pooled our resources to make a good day of it. Instead of spending the day alone and feeling melancholy because of our situation, we got together and found a new level of communication and appreciation with those who were there. Once again, paying attention to the present moment.
That is why many of us have a visceral reaction when merchants skew the natural order of things and try to make Thanksgiving itself into just another day to have a retail sale. Or when it is Labor Day weekend or before Halloween when we are confronted with Christmas sale displays. The reaction is visceral because we sense that doing this rips away at the natural order of things. Enjoy Thanksgiving just for being Thanksgiving, and then when it is time, enjoy Christmas/Winter Solstice/Yule for what it offers us, and savor that time for what it is.
So today, give some thought to appreciating what this day has to offer and give your attention to whoever is part of this day with you. By doing so, we appreciate our own life more fully, and we appreciate those who are part of our lives more fully. By giving our full attention to whoever is with us at the moment, we bring light and clarity to each and every encounter. Celebrate the focus of each moment, and enjoy the presence of each person, and each thing we are doing and do it the best we can.
So remember that where your thoughts go, your energy goes. Are your thoughts in the present moment with you?
Any time any one of you contacts me, it really helps make my day whether you want to make an appointment or just to keep in touch and let me know how you are doing. I like hearing your stories of what has been happening since the last time we met. And of course, I am always ready to help with what is next. Let this note help make your day. I love you.
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