Present and Contemplative Friday

Be present with me now. Focus first on your breathing and slowing it down. Next, focus on your body, the chair you are sitting in, the screen you are looking at, the words you are reading. Feel your body, feel the chair beneath you and where it hits you on the back. Feel your feet on the ground. Focus on the screen in front of you. Focus on the words you are reading. Be here now.

I am with you through these words that I have written that you are reading, we are present through my words together, and I care. I care that you are present, I am grateful for your presence, I am grateful and honor your existence. You matter to me. Your well-being and calm presence matters to me.

I am rooting for you. I celebrate your existence. I am rooting for your mental capabilities to grow and expand as you reach into your being and be present with your most authentic self in this moment.


I have an exercise to share with you to further develop undivided attention.

Type up or write up a couple of paragraphs that go something like this:

I am practicing undivided attention. I give this sheet of paper before me my full undivided attention. I am giving the words written on this paper my undivided attention. I am in this moment giving my full undivided attention to the place where I am sitting and the words that I am reading....

Etc. Just keep on like that for a couple of paragraphs, it is supposed to be repetitive. Print it out if you typed it up and read it aloud, (you can do this quietly if you don't want to alarm others you live with). Give yourself about ten minutes each day for a week to do this. Use a kitchen timer so you can focus on the words you are reading. I use to go down in my basement to sit and do this exercise after my kids went to bed, and I told my husband I had an exercise to do and that I needed that time and space to myself. He was usually nodding off in front of the television by then anyway, so it didn't really much matter.

You will begin to see each day that you are a little more focused and even better able to bring yourself back to focus and calm with a daily practice of this exercise.