Present

August 18, 2023 Sharon Jacobson

Present

There have been a few places in my life
where I have just gone and sat
and done nothing but be present.
I had this oversized wooden rocking chair,
there was an old church space,
which rarely got used after they built the new one,
and there is my prayer and meditation garden.
I love to just sit there and be.
I would and still can sit for hours
and just be.
Why do you just sit there,
I was once asked.
What are you thinking about?
All I could say is,
I just am.
I am present with the Ultimate and
the Ultimate is present with me
and we are present with each other.

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Being Present

May 23, 2021 Sharon Jacobson

Being Present

Being present
for my family, friends, students, customers, and humanity
is important.
Being fully present for others
is about my showing
respect for and valuing those
I am with at that moment.
Being present for you
is my present to you
and my way of expressing
your importance.
Being present
is a gift.
So when I know I cannot be fully present,
I need to express my love,
by not showing up
or at least by saying
this is not the best time.
Sometimes I have to be present
for me first
so I can be present for others.
So before I make you feel
as if I am not really there,
or I really do not care,
I have to be present enough
to say I cannot be fully present
right now.

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Thank you Mr Mittens

December 7, 2018 Sharon Jacobson

Thank you Mr Mittens
For the lessons you teach me
and the role you play
in my spiritual journey.

You teach me to live in the moment.
You are ever present,
not time traveling to
the past or the future.
You remind me to be in this moment,
and live a simpler life.

You teach me to love myself just as I am
to be content with and love myself.
You never seem to worry how you look
or if your collar matches your fur
or if your belly has dropped.
You don’t even make a big deal,
if you do not like the can we opened.

You remind me not to judge.
It’s not that you are not discerning,
but it is about whether the objects
make you feel loved or fearful.
do you like the energy being emitted
or not.
You always love me just as I am.

You teach me to go with the flow,
to adapt to the situation.
You look at the blankets as they change
and go yup that will work.
As long as you feel safe, nourished,
and near Zoe or I,
you are at peace.

You remind us to love unconditionally.
You love us no matter what we put in the bowl
or the blanket on the bed.
you love us in good times and bad
for richer or poorer
in sickness and in health.
You have seen me in my best and my worst
and you love me unconditionally
You have these vows that
are unspoken but real

Thank you for being
a mentor and a teacher?
and one of my guides on my journey.

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No running away.

March 21, 2015 Sharon Jacobson

So today I just want to thank you for the reminder to not run, not that I can physically run anyway (LOL). I was looking for quotes about being present I could use for the thoughts for the day this month, when I stumbled upon this powerful reminder from Geri Larkin in The Still Point Dhammapada. “

Being upright means staying smack dab in the middle of what's going on. No running away. No pretending that the situation is any different than it is. It means breathing in and out and listening to our heart. And asking only one question: What can I do right this minute? Sometimes I think of it as "mountain and river" practice. Detroit is all too often a mountain of heartbreaks and a river of sorrows. All I can do is look for cracks where some help can be offered. Sometimes I can only witness. Some days I can only pick up garbage or make the first call to a shelter or delete the email and chant for the person who wrote it.

For me, not to me

January 31, 2014 Sharon Jacobson

Over the last few weeks, Zoe and I have experienced a few changes in our lives. Changes in the way our office is structured and organized, loss of a family member, change in eating choices, and other changes which have affected us, to varying degrees, emotionally, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Some of the changes we knew were coming, others seemed to occur with little notice and others seemed to manifest out of thin air. Whether we believe the change is for the better or the worse, we cannot avoid change. It is part of our existence as human beings.

As I think back over all the changes, which have occurred over my life, I have come to realize that there were some changes I was more aware of then others. I am not aware every time a cell in my body is changing. I am not aware every time blood is flowing through my veins. I am not aware of all the things my body seems to do for me until there is a change in how it is or has been doing it, then I become aware.

When life gets difficult, I __________

December 6, 2013 Sharon Jacobson

I was having a conversation with a friend recently about what I do when life gets difficult. I would like to be able to say that life is never difficult and there are never any obstacles placed in front of me, but I would be lying. At the same time, it struck me that I have never consciously thought about what I do and how do I move through. What do I do to keep myself grounded and focused when life happens, which it is bound to do?

What I am coming to understand and remember is that things are what they appear to be at that moment and it is my attitude, which determines how I move through and view the situation.

It is an Ongoing Adventure.

November 9, 2013 Sharon Jacobson

There have been moments in my life when I wish I could wake up and be completely free from the Dream of the Planet. Moments when I did not have to work at being aware of what I was thinking and why and what I was working on hooking myself from in my life. The reality is that "The practice of awareness is a lifelong adventure.” [1]

Everywhere I go in my life, I encounter the Dream of the Planet, and it challenges me to maintain my awareness. Maybe that is one of the reasons I enjoy working at home, it limits the challenges I have to face being out in the world each day. I do not have to work as hard to navigate all the illusions that I encounter in life or the conditions placed on me by others.

There is no mindfulness in multitasking.

December 6, 2011 Sharon Jacobson

Every once in a while I get a fortune cookie, or a thought for the day on one of my FB apps that just kind of slaps me in the face and shouts it’s pay attention time. This morning was one of those moments. I was going through my morning FB ritual and my Zen thought for the day was “When walking, walk. When eating, eat.” Hmm, I guess it was no coincidence I read this as I drank my water, ate breakfast and FBed, all at the same time. Then I started thinking about how many times in my day I am not being mindful because I am multitasking. Like when my son calls and is telling me the details of his day and I am not fully listening to him because I am also cooking dinner. Or how many times has Zoë been talking to me about something and I have not stopped what I was doing to fully listen. Or how many times have I been doing two or three things at one time. I guess there is a reason that Zoë sometimes calls me the queen of multitasking.

The power of the past and the importance of the present.

November 22, 2011 Sharon Jacobson

Once again, I have learned how easy it is to be sucked into the power of the past and forget that none of us is the same person we were in the past. The other day, my son called crying and then hung up on me and immediately I became concerned for him, his caregivers, and the other young man in his life. Why? Because I remembered all the other times he had lost control when he was with me and how he was. I remembered the time he nearly hit me over the head with a 2 x 4. I remembered all the other times he had become angry and became physically aggressive with myself and others and I assumed that this was what was happening again. The next day when I spoke to his caregiver, I learned that he had not been physical at all. He had been far more appropriate then I have ever known him to be.

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