PatiMartinez6

We get so wrapped up in our digital devices that we forget to be fully present with those around us. To acknowledge each other with our presence, is to show respect for the dignity the human beings around us. So look up and say hello to human kindness. Be the kind of presence you want to meet in the world.

Look up and embrace this moment. What is there to see, touch, taste or hear? Try to experience it fully and appreciate it for exactly what it is. A part of your world. And you are part of it. You belong to each other. What will you take from this moment? If you are digging this moment, share it at the office, the dinner table or the stranger passing by. This moment is only meaningful when you make it so.

Your presence in this world is a gift. Share it with others when you take a moment to look up from your digital devices and be fully present in the moment. Make eye contact, notice your surroundings. What are you thinking and feeling in this moment? When you give your presence, you create something meaningful – human connection and good health.

When you give your presence, you show respect and appreciation for yourself, your world and everything in it. Your presence is a gift to others that comes back to you in a smile, a gesture of appreciation, or even just a look of recognition that you just made a moment meaningful. You have created something with your presence that benefits your health, and that of those around you.

To be the presence implies its homonym of "presents." When we are in the moment, we receive so many gifts just by being fully present. When bring our full presence to an encounter, we give many presents to those we connect with...whether it's the new puppy longing for adoration, or his owner who revels in the joy her pet brings to others. Presence is full of presents that create ripples of joy, laughter and well-being as we recount those presents at the office and the dinner table. You should have seen that puppy! OMG!

To be the presence is to give yourself and others the healthful benefit of respectful attention and human recognition. Presence is the first element of charisma, and charisma is the strength of character that inspires confidence in ourselves and devotion in others. Without presence, we become dead to the world.

Look up from your digital devices and be a presence in your world. Make eye contact if you can with every living being, whether it's human, feathered or furry. Open your senses and identify the sights, sounds and smells that greet you. Set your imagination free as you absorb your surroundings, taking note of what your are thinking and feeling in this moment. Be the presence you want to be in the world, and know that this will contribute to the good health you want to enjoy.