heart to heart
Taking off from my last blog – “What is Empathy,” I now realize I left out the most important part of my message about empathy!
What you read, if you read it, in my last blog was about having the right words to say to give yourself and others empathy.
Words are important, yet not nearly as impactful as your presence.
When you meet someone in need in the post office and you do not have time for them, a moment of being truly present with them will give them the biggest gift you can offer – true empathy. Of course that means being present with yourself and when we are in a hurry, that is no small feat.
Presence is healing. The right words for any situation can arise from being present in yourself.
So are you doomed if you find being fully present at all times difficult? Or maybe you’re not even sure what presence is. Perhaps you find being present for a while after meditation is not so hard, but out and about taking care of business is a different story.
No, you are not doomed, you are human! Do you desire to be able to tap into that place more readily, more often? If so, I just want you to know that is part of this upcoming experiential workshop. We are going to play with words and silent connection. We will play with presence within and with each other.
I can tell you that you will get more comfortable with the words when you understand that emotions arise out of met or unmet needs. And that most people just want acknowledgement. Having the common need of being seen be met by a moment of pure presence may give rise to effective words, or that moment may be enough for the person in need.
Never think it’s all you have to give because it is the highest form of loving kindness I have experienced. Anything you have to give from your heart in any situation beyond that will arise naturally.
Find out more about Moving into Awareness, an experiential class on empathy and presence coming up this Sunday, February 23rd in Paonia.
