Show up And stay present

Do you recall me telling you that one mother who attended my class mentioned that because what I taught was based on principles she could go home and put it right to work? A principle is a general and fundamental truth that we can use to build something on. When I teach how to make a tool such as The Spark Station work I teach that there are 5 principles that will determine success or mediocrity and failure.  I call them the Five Rules of Engagement and I have talked about them at length in earlier blogs.

These five rules or principles don’t just apply to The Closet. I have really been thinking about them and how they apply to relationships and family interactions of all kinds. I have a person who is helping me learn to meditate. I have talked about that before too. Well, I tend to judge how it is going and I sometimes don’t want to keep my commitment to the meditation or to her because it is difficult at times.

I want to share a response that she sent to me when I had to confess that I wasn’t doing as well in my commitment to meditate as I should. “Sticking with this meditating daily is your commitment to a peaceful heart and life.  Just like you tell families about the closet:  that structured time is vital.  You tell them they have to show up and really be present during that structured Spark Station time. The same principle works here.  If you show up as you said you would the blessings come.  Meditation is your personal Spark Station.  And you know that the magic of the closet cannot be preplanned really, it just kind of happens when you show up.”

Boy, has she hit the nail right on the head. It is about just showing up and staying present. It doesn’t matter if I think that my daily meditation was successful or not. I showed up! even though I find it challenging and hard at times. Not only did I show up, I stayed present. That was a tall order for me. I have a busy life both inside and out. When I wake up I don’t take any time to “get going”. I don’t have a cup of herbal tea and let my body adjust to its new state of awakeness. Not me. My husband says I am like a fire fighter; the bell rings and I am up, dressed and on the move in 30 seconds flat.

Listen, I don’t even stop to fix my hair unless I know I have to leave the house that day. If not I run a brush through it and say, “That’ll do.” So to sit quietly on the side of my bed for eight full minutes is a KILLER for me. And then to stay present with the meditating, I mean to mentally nod at the thoughts that are pounding in my brain to be heard and then gently ushering them out without focusing on them, WOW. That has been a tall order and some days I just want to say NO! No can do today, I am busy!!!

She is also right about the magic that comes when you show up and stay present. It cannot be planned, it just happens. Do you recall the mom I talked about who let her kids make a snow swamp, which moved onto a volcano creation, which wound itself into the color wheel and creating colors, which led into colored toast art and then flung itself into a soda fountain and counting change? Now that was a magical school day. That was a magical family moment which could happen in any home, home schooling or public schooling. It was magic. It happened because the mom had a Spark Station filled with inspiring items and she showed uo and she was present.

So I think I’ll just really commit to the 8 minutes of quiet a day. I’ll show up and I’ll make every effort t to stay present. The magic of my personal Spark Station will come, in time, in the form of a peaceful heart and life. Remember that 90% of success is “just showing up. The principle is true. It always applies. It applies to my meditation and to your family success, your families educational success.

Possibly Related Posts:

• Self Care for Better Parenting – Part 2
• Self Care for Better Parenting – Part 1
• Got Kids 24/7 – 2 Tips to make life easier
• The Screen Free Experiment
• 5 Tips to Put Family first

Tagged as: Parenting - Parents and Children, Principles