Last week was tetchy. People were tired and stressed. Meetings were terse and abrupt. Summer storms, both meteorological and emotional passed swiftly over. The combination of festive preparations and end-of-year wrap ups added to the testy cocktail.
Yet there were moments of pause and reflection – little oases of reality that emerged through the fluff and rush. A leisurely conversation with a colleague as we waited for those held up in rush-hour traffic, to arrive for a meeting. The catchy excitement of two people in two different scenarios about to launch out on a new venture. Quietly holding the hands of several who are bravely anticipating an empty place at the table for the first time this Christmas.
It is when we are truly present to one another that love actively expresses itself – not the automatically flung out seasonal phrases as we rush past each other.
Circumstances of the season increase the kind of activity that reduces our capacity to be present. There just isn’t time.
Awareness however, increases our alertness to the occasions to stop and simply “be” with another.
Wondering Pilgrim 