present moment

My time here in London is rapidly drawing to a close - I head back to the Novitiate Dec 10. I've been trying to stay in the present moment rather than dwelling on the past or looking toward the future. One of my housemates here loaned me the Power of Now by Ekhard Tolle which has been useful in this regards.

This morning I found myself, as I say, trying to be present. I decided not to read the paper as I ate my cereal, but rather concentrate on the chewing of the Special K. As I walked to the bus stop, my thoughts drifted to this and to that, but there were so many wet leaves on the ground that I decided (especially in light of yesterday's post) that it was a matter of safety to concentrate on my footsteps! On the bus I tried to focus not on sitting on a cold bus, but rather to spend some quiet time with the big guy. I've always found a crowded bus in the early morning a great place for meditation. Same thing with airport departure lounges.

But this morning, thoughts kept creeping in. My spiritual director always advises me to laugh at such moments, which I did, which almost serves like a patronus on a boggart in a Harry Potter book. But then the thoughts crept back again. After a cycle of about 3 or 4 times, I decided to call in the big guns and asked Jesus to help me out in my quest to just be in the moment. Now, before you get worried I didn't have a vision or anything, but basically I felt like the message was that I should simply look into his eyes. So I closed my eyes, and imagined doing just that. It was a nice way to spend the rest of my ride into Central London.

When I'd finished work today, I realized that I had pretty much stayed in the present moment all day. Buttering toast, meeting with a new client, helping others with their job search. In a way, I guess I was looking to their eyes and seeing Christ.

I then went to my 2 1/2 hour gig as a model .... hair model that is. One of my housemates here tuned me into the free (or almost free) haircuts at the Vidal Sassoon Academy. The only catch is you have to sit in your chair for 2 to 3 hours as your student hairdresser gets directions from her instructor. It gave me lots more time to practice being in the present moment! :)