Presence in 2017

The word presence means 'to exist in a place'. It is the art of being. Not so much about the past or the future, but of the moment. My interest in presence has been sparked by a quote from the phenomenologist Merleau-Ponty. He suggests that consciousness 'does not give me truth like geometry but presences' [quoted in Stang, 2009). Is this saying, I wonder, that consciousness gives us experiences;  such that awareness comes in a form of presences?

In our world where science is the dominant philosophy facts and truth are objectively trusted and what's more valued above qualities of feeling, imagination and intuition. This can place personal experiences and ordinary daily life into a lowly category. If you imagine most if not nearly all people live in the everyday no wonder self esteem and wellbeing is taking a hammering in our modern life.

Presence invites a different stance if you will. It asks us to become open and aware to our experiences. All of our experiences, the explained and the unexplained. To value the ordinary in our lives. Doing the daily chores. Waking up to a brand new day. Reaching out the simple hand of friendship to those in need. Attending to the school run, the shopping, or the journey home from work. Knocking on the door of our neighbours to check-in.

In the race to the top of an invisible (arguably nonexistent) ladder how often do we stop to take in the awe of the beauty around us? The enjoyment in making a simple meal for our family and friends. Going for a walk to the nearby river where we live. Or stopping to watch the sunset.

How fantastic it is to witness and be a part of such everyday awesome experiences and not feel the need to classify them as special in order to validate ourselves or what happened.

That's my wish for 2017. To be able to take in and celebrate the ordinariness of my life. To see the gift in the everyday. And to see how that stance of being in the presence shapes and moulds my life and relationships.

It starts today on Sunday 01 January with the joy of rain. Yes rain can be enjoyed, for water is sacred, it is life itself. Without it I would not be here, nor much of anything else I can see from my window. Yet in the United Kingdom where I live rain is not always seen in this way. Water is not often scarce. If anything due to climate change water has become a powerful force resulting in seasonal flooding. However, for many in other parts of the world water is becoming increasingly hard to find. Rain is seen as the foreteller of change and a blessing to be appreciated. I am therefore fortunate today to be able to watch the water fall from the clouds above.