I had an interesting thought this week, and it started with my mom. She’s doing well, by the way, turning 94 in a few weeks. We went out for a day of errands, the market, lunch, the usual. And because the current issue of choice is on presence, I’ve been seeing it everywhere lately. That happens every issue. When you’re a carpenter with a hammer, everything looks like a nail. This time, everything looks like presence.
Watching my mom in her community that day was a gift. I got to see the joy she gets from being known there, from having people who ask about her and check in on her when I’m not around. Being present with her, and present to what her life looks like when I’m not in the room, gave me something I wasn’t expecting to find on an ordinary day of errands.
Then Monday and Tuesday hit, and we both had colds. Somewhere along the way we’d picked up the same bug. I won’t pretend to know what it actually was, virus, germ, whatever it was, we were under the weather for a few days.
Here’s where it got interesting for me. I had clients to coach, and I really wanted to show up present for them. So I did more than I normally would to take care of myself. Rest, tea, ginger, lemon, honey, all the concoctions we know about. I was committed to not letting the cold take over the session, and I genuinely believe that commitment helped me recover faster.
So maybe presence works both directions. It’s a gift you give, being there for your mom, being there for a client, and it turns out to be a gift you get back too, in ways you don’t always expect. That’s how I’m seeing it right now. Let me know if any of this resonates with you.
