In this issue

• Welcome
• Quote of the Month
• Taking Time for Me
• Being Fully Present in Life
• Poem
• *Win a newly published book!

TAKING TIME FOR ME

This will be my last monthly newsletter for a while and with the busy Christmas season approaching I'd like to write about taking time for ourselves in our lives. One of the greatest challenges in my life has been making time to be still, to just "BE". Whenever I have made the time, I feel the benefit, so the question must be asked "If I know there is benefit in setting aside regular time for "just being", why don't I do it more often?"

One answer I have received is that people who are compulsively busy are afraid of being alone. Something else I have discovered is that I have needed approval or to be "liked" and thought that by being a "doing" person I am seen to be helpful and productive and this has given me a feeling of self worth. However, the greatest learning I have received is that it is essential to cultivate a real love of myself.

It has been said many times that we cannot love others if we do not love ourselves. But what does this mean? We usually think that it has something to do with having self-esteem or with giving ourselves "emotional goodies" to compensate for our feelings of deficiency. Perhaps, but one central aspect of a mature love of ourselves is caring about our growth sufficiently not to flee from the discomfort or pain of our actual condition. We must love ourselves enough not to abandon ourselves - and we abandon ourselves to the degree that we are not fully present to our own lives. When we are caught up in worry, fantasy, tension and anxiety we become dissociated from our bodies and our feelings - and ultimately, from our true nature.

True love of self also entails a profound acceptance of ourselves - returning to Presence and settling into ourselves as we actually are without attempting to change our experience. It is also aided by seeking the company of people who possess some degree of this quality themselves.

During the past few weeks I have surrendered to a temporary physical limitation and spent more time being with myself, observing what is going on in my mind without judging, just "being" and reflecting. The result is that I am feeling the most content I ever have, with a genuine sense of self acceptance and love of myself.

When we let go of everything else, we find a silent Space of awareness. This practice may not come naturally to us because our brains seem to need stimulation, so we constantly occupy ourselves with ideas, sensation, entertainment, memories, fantasties and so on, lest we feel bored. But behind all that is a Presence that is accessible if we pay attention and relax into it. A potential mistake here is to try to be mindful. Without trying, there is simply attention happening.

There is no need to criticize the everyday mind as we watch it working. We can simply observe the constant stream of judging, commenting, liking and disliking that goes on in the mind. When we observe these processes, we are less trapped within them.

BEING FULLY PRESENT IN LIFE

Eckart Tolle in his book "A New Earth" has some things to say about this. "The peace that comes with surrendered action turns to a sense of aliveness when you actually enjoy what you are doing. When you make the present moment, instead of past and future, the focal point of your life, your ablity to enjoy what you do - and with it the quality of your life - increases dramatically. Joy is the dynamic aspect of Being.

When you say "I enjoy doing this or that", it is really a misperception. It makes it appear that the joy comes from what you do, but that is not the case. Joy does not come from what you do, it flows into what you do and thus into the world from deep within you. You will enjoy any activity in which you are fully present, any activity that is not just a means to an end. It isn't the action you perform that you really enjoy, but the deep sense of aliveness that flows into it.

You can experience this aliveness if you make a list of a number of routine activities you perform frequently, such as travelling to and from work, buying groceries, doing laundry. Then when doing these activities, be absolutely present in what you do and sense the alert, alive stillness within in you in the background. You will find the activities actually become enjoyable. This is finding the joy of Being in what you are doing."