perfect presence

perfect presence. what is perfect presence? the dictionary guides a definition like this:

presence is the state or fact of being present, being aware of what is existing or happening now. presence is also the area immediately surrounding someone... and the quality of self assurance and effectiveness.

the word perfect used to be hard for me to use. it's a total no-no in the child-friendly world. we're taught to be exceptionally careful about labeling things as perfect because it sets children up to feel like they have to aspire to "that". and yet,

perfection is simply being... perfection is living an existence so full-y ourselves...

it's amazing to me how foreign this concept of simply being 100% authentic really is. i just returned from an incredible weekend of sharing with my dear friend thomas in seattle. prior to heading out there, i was inspired by the freedom and excitement that i felt about getting to be totally present with another person. thomas had invited me to spend a playful weekend guided by

- undivided attention -
no hidden fears, no grasping hands
all opening, all accepting, all inviting, all tingly

i was deeply moved by the divine gift that accompanies no hidden fears, no need to grasp, total acceptance, total invitation, total peace and ease, open and simply purring. and now, after returning home i reflect on the perfect presence that we shared with one another. the whole weekend was one spontaneous fluid movement of each of us deeply connected to our centers and sharing that space with one another. complete undivided attention and presence... following joy and sharing whatever comes up... lots of smiles, grins, laughing, crying, cradling, caring, supporting, expanding, moving, mentoring, sharing, enjoying, giving, receiving, loving, loving, loving... on the doing side of our weekend, it was all about following attention.

following attention -- allowing one's moments to be guided by pure attention, following the flow of awareness. "if you stay grounded in awareness (this present moment) then you can freely examine ways of bringing the wisdom of the past and the potentials of the future so that the wave of now is ever-expanding." ~thomas

one of my favorite things to do in this world is to simply follow my own or another person's attention. i learned this from being with children. children give the greatest gift of presence, total presence in each moment that surrounds their life. they are experts at staying focused on exactly what they find interesting in a moment. they are my teachers. children also give the gift of curiosity, wonder, and awe. i have found that the most natural way to enter into a child's world is to do just that, enter into their world rather than trying to bring them into my world. when i go into their world, life seems to be filled with new colors, new details, unlimited wonder. this is the medicine that youth feed me with that has kept me passionate about being at their side. and this is the journey through life that i cherish sharing with others.

so as gassho reminds us

The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention. ~Richard Moss

what do the some of these colorful words evoke within you?