Do you ever find yourself going from one task to the next without much pause or thought? Perhaps, it is your work. You finish one project task and quickly move onto the next. Or as a parent moving from one child need or activity to the next. In short, life can get full of daily tasks, to do lists and the next thing that needs to get done.
Focusing on the task at hand is an excellent skill. It is not a matter of focusing OR being present but rather can we focus AND be present.
Being present is being aware of what is going on inside you and around you. It is paying attention to how your body is feeling while you are focused on a task. Are you listening to and responding to your body when it needs water or a mental break? Between tasks or activities, can you pause for a moment and pay attention to one breath cycle?
Challenge
Pick out a tree on your commute, daily walk or one near your home. Each day or once a week, take time to pay attention to the tree. How did the colors of the leaves change? How vibrant are the colors? Pay attention to the changes, however slight they might be.
If you forget one day or a week to pay attention, remind yourself “it’s okay”. Then get back to your “Tree Pause”.
Maybe you notice the colors don’t change a lot, or maybe they do. The practice of paying attention to the tree can help us practice paying attention in other ways throughout our day and lives. When we take moments to pause and notice the beauty around us and how life is changing, it helps us practice being present in the change and experience it in a more meaningful way.
Remember, we are shifting from the hot, high-energy days of summer to dry, cool and crisp days of fall. Our bodies naturally want to slow down. Are you allowing yourself to slow down? Are you taking time to pause and take in the change of the seasons?
Some people chase fall foliage. I have longed to chase the changing colors of Vermont trees in October. Don’t wait for the fall adventure. Enjoy where you are right now – seeing the beauty of the present moment. Reflect on what fall brings us - a chance to slow down and notice the change.
As we transition into fall, are you taking time to slow down? To notice the changes around you?
Fall can go by quickly. Embracing the colors around you today, and again tomorrow, and again the next day. The change in season is an invitation to pause and notice nature changing around you. It is these small moments that are opportunities to practice being present.
Photo: Silver Falls Trail, Silver Falls State Park, Oregon by Jen Potocnik