Be present

So just for a minute we are going to stray away from the environment and discuss a recent discovery I have made.  Now I will start this post, as I have with many others, with a disclaimer.  This is not advice I am doling out here, because everyone knows I am the last person to be offering this kind of advice.  But what this is, is more of a suggestion, something I found that works for me (since let’s be honest I am the one that needs lots of help and I know it) and thought was worth sharing.  So just keep that in mind while reading (yes I am again pretending like I have people that read my words it is ok my delusions keep me happy).  So I begin.  I read a great article (and have been reading many others like it recently) that discuss ways to let go and be present.  The specific article ( http://blog.sfgate.com/morford/2012/06/26/101-easy-steps-to-having-it-all/ ) I am referring to was written as a counterargument (that word may be too strong here, but let’s go with it) to the Slaughter article, "Why Women Still Can't have it All".  And the counterargument was a simple statement, to be present.  Now please do not get me wrong the Slaughter ( http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2012/07/why-women-still-can-8217-t-have-it-all/9020/?single_page=true) article offered many great arguments and ways to think about things, ways that I actually agree with and would like to see changed.  But I have recently found that that kind of thinking does not help or benefit me, instead it tends to overwhelm me.  I still want to think and create positive and intelligent change, but I do not want to do it in a way that consumes me or makes me think in a negative light.  That comes way too easy for me, thinking in a negative way.  Being present and letting go is not quite as natural, and I really cannot even define it in generic terms.  I have always been told my entire life to let stuff go and not worry so much.  After I have seen the effects of holding on to some many petty things, I finally see that value in that advice.  Sure, some may say I have learned too late, but better late than never.  So what being present means for me, and how it helps me, is when I get overwhelmed, cranky, whiny, and negative, or start thinking in doom and gloom terms, I stop (in my head) and just try to be present.  It is a way to try and change your thought patterns and in turn some negative habits.  Be present, be grateful, be thankful and lighten up.  There are things to worry and stress about sure, and this is not a cure to make you 100% stress free.  Exhibit A: I still have stress, but now I seem to stress out a little less and not over everything (gulp, some of the time).  So when I catch myself about (or even after the fact) to say something negative I now stop, and try to be present.  It is just an extra step that I have added to my thought process to try and overcome bad ugly habits.  If I am whining because I have to do so many loads of laundry I stop, think about being present, and for me it takes me to a place where I say thank you, instead of whining.  I have laundry to do, but so many do not, they have worse issues to deal with.  So I stop whining.  It humbles me and then I think about how I do not need as much as I am told I need, and heck it might even help motivate me to clean out my closet (which it has needed for a while) and donate something to those who do need it.  Then they can complain about laundry, I kid I kid.  Look, you will get through everything, because at some point it all passes.  You get through a crappy day at work, you get through a traffic ticket,  you get through doing the laundry.  I know it all sounds small and petty but it is generally the petty things that I bring up the most.  Now this is not a religious thing, and as I mentioned at the start this is not me giving out self help advice, it is me finding some self help, and finding something that actually works for me.  It does not require a lot, just slowing down for less than a second to think and be aware.  Just thinking about being present adds a filter to my mouth so that I do not blurt out some garbage that benefits no one.  I am forced to constantly be aware of what I say and do and how that affects others.  Not everyone needs to hear my opinion all the time (and that is why I have a blog, omg what is wrong with me I need more help than I thought).  Now I am not saying this is a cure all, and I am not saying I am perfect now and only say great, wonderful, wise things, and I am not even saying that I will do this forever.  But the goal is to change some of my negative habits and make them positive habits or at very least silence the bad habits.  Because the more I practice the easier it becomes, and I will be honest I do feel more relaxed (even just reducing my stress by just a small percentage).  I will be more grateful for what I have and less worried about what I do not have, I will serve this planet and the people on, because their needs are my needs, and I will be present.