Be present. You can’t swim two feet in the personal development pool without hearing that phrase. Be present, they say. Be here in the now.
To be totally honest, the term aggravates me. I always want to shout: I am present, dammit. I’m breathing. My cells are occupying this physical location. I AM HERE.
It’s probably my writer’s brain getting feisty because the two words only just begin to explain what it means. I get what what it means to be present. It’s about more than just taking up space, it’s about engaging in that exact moment. Releasing the past and the future and just living right now.
I get it, but I don’t think it really captures the essence of what it means.
But, to savor, mmm, that conveys so much more.
It suggests using your senses. Engaging your smell, taste, touch, sight, and thought to really experience. When you’re engaging your senses, you don’t have the mental capacity to be worrying about which flight to book or if you said the right thing in that awkward situation (and don’t worry, I never say the right thing in awkward situations, so I can sympathize).
Nope, when you’re savoring, you are indulging in the sensations of right now. Savoring invokes the image of enjoying a slow, delicious meal bite for bite. Or taking deep breathes of the cold, crisp air on your morning walk. It nudges you into the idea that taking your time and using your senses allows you to engage in what you’re doing.
When you tell yourself to be present, it sounds like a barking command. When you tell yourself to savor, it sounds like a kind and thoughtful request.
My brain is all for the kind, helpful route. So, here’s to savoring life and nudging my brain into embracing the senses of each moment.