Cultivating Pleasure in Presence

by Lezli Censullo

Spring is continuing to spring all around me.  My gardens are calling to me, wanting not only my care, but more than that, my presence.  This is a time when, if I pause long enough to really listen, I can hear Mama Gaia in the pulsing energy of new life, in the song of the birds, in the passion of utter joy and in the flow of my heart.

I especially find myself thinking of my dear mother-in-law who died a few years ago at age 100+.  We would often sit together in the backyard, just looking at the water, smelling the air, listening to the birds and sharing special moments.  I would so admire her presence and the simple pleasure she took in all the little things. And as I grow in age, I find that this is what I want too.  I want to be present to my life.  I want to allow each moment to have its day (talk about confounding time ideas!).  I want – not to live each moment as if it were my last – but to live each moment to its fullest.  I want to be present to my Self.

I do this in several different ways, and it always come back to how I cultivate pleasure and learning to slow down long enough to not only smell the roses, but to really appreciate them, thorns and all. 

I do this by breathing with intentionality – by exploring not only the in-breath and the out-breath; but by being really curious about the space between the in and the out. 

I do this by gifting myself the time to make art that serves no purpose other than to make myself happy. 

I do this by honoring my bodily needs – by nurturing her, feeding her, and paying attention to when she asks me to rest. 

I do this by taking classes and getting certifications for no other purpose than learning and being curious and investigating and connecting threads. 

I do this by really leaning in to those I love and being part of circles where the language of the soul is the first language. 

I am struck by the way the young and newborn need the care of an elder.  I am struck by how  making the choice to be a conscious elder helps me plant my feet solidly on the Earth and like a tree, spread my arms wide to finally encompass all that I am – rooted and alight at the same time.

How, dear friends, are you present to your Self?

What gift does your Soul-Self truly desire?

I really want to know.