February Asides

What's Presence? Action

Put your hand on your chest. Feel your heart. Say “hello” to your heart. Breathe. 

Ask your hand to stretch its reach beyond your external flesh, feeling into the inner parts of your being. 

Hello heart. 

You could say through your touch, “I know you are there and I am so happy.”* 

Notice that your touch can exceed your hand, without difficulty. 

Now, bring your hands in front of you, one hand facing the other by 2 inches or 6 centimeters. 

Reach with one hand toward the other, without moving it ... and then do the same with the other in the same way your reached through your chest. 

Notice, reaching changes sensation. These are not neutral actions. 

Imagine, reaching outwardly from any or all body surfaces. 

Now you are articulating your presence.

Now you are a larger being of touch. 

Now you understand that presence touches. Presence changes things. Presence is a disturbance. 

Now, notice what you bring to that disturbance. Try generosity, try readiness, try “hello,” try “I know you are there and I am so happy!”*



*Thich Nhat Hanh’s “The Four Mantras.” The Way Out is In Podcast: 32 Words to Create Healthy Relationships. (Episode 60) Dec 14, 2023. Variation on this Mantra: so = very.