Yesterday I was reminded by a close friend about the importance of telling your loved ones you love them & how important it is to really be present when you are with them. Wow. What wise and important words. We all have crazy busy lives. Some of us may live close to our loved ones, but maybe we don't see them as often as we should or even as often as we'd like. We say we are there for our family & friends, but are we really? Even when they are right in front of us, are we really there, listening, making memories?
Over Thanksgiving, I was blessed to spend time with some of my loved ones, but I was missing a lot of them. Those who I was unable to be with were on my mind. I hope I was present with the ones I was able to see. With technology & the prevalence of smart phones, it is so easy to get sucked out of reality & to not be present with those who are right next to us. I try to remember to not let my phone be my escape, but sometimes it's easy to just virtually join someone else instead of facing the people you are with - for whatever reason.
As I was reflecting on what my friend said, I wondered if I am present enough with the people I see every day, not just with my loved ones, but do I really see the person & hear their replies to my questions about how they are doing? We often ask others how they are, even strangers, but do we really pay attention to their reply? It is so easy to get caught up in our own stuff we have going on - to get preoccupied with the lists of tasks we need to complete - especially during this holiday season. As the year comes to a close, I am going to challenge myself to really be present with everyone I come in contact with...if you know me, you might know that is really hard for me. It's easy for me to be present with those close to me, those I love, but to really be present with every person I come in contact with is very difficult. Maybe it's because I'm somewhat of an introvert, or maybe it's my disdain for drama & conflict, or maybe it's my loathing of small talk - whatever it is, this challenge will not be easy!
Feel free to join me. Also, please give me grace if you are one of the people I come in contact with...it's so hard for me sometimes!
(I realize it's been a little over two years since I've posted any new blog posts...maybe I need to change that...anyone interested in reading more blog posts? I'll try to keep active.)
