Be Present

Every year, Caribou Coffee Company celebrates Breast Cancer Awareness month with a coffee bean called Amy’s Blend. This year they also focused on twenty ways to care about others. The number one way to care is Be Present.

As we communicate more through digital media, we lose some of the person-to-person touch. Not only are we are too busy to sit down over a cup of coffee with someone, but we have lost the ability to be present, in person, in someone’s life. When was the last time you sat down with a colleague or loved one just to catch up? Or in friendships can you be present by making time for them? For some of you, distance makes this difficult. What if you wrote a card, just to say you appreciate them? The important thing is communicating with them.

Yes, being present takes time, but having an intentional focus on someone can allow you to savor the words of the conversation and allow for intimacy to develop in that relationship. We make an astounding difference when we show genuine care for another person. This is important with those involved in our lives.

This is an area I myself need to improve upon. In face-to-face conversations, I find my eyes (and my attention) wandering to my phone, the television, or others in the room. I am most guilty of this while with my husband on our date nights. Because we so seldom get away as just the two of us, I need to value that time we have together. Instead, I am texting or checking the news or my business. He is my most valued relationship and I need to improve on being present with him. When we are engaged and present, I know that makes a difference and shows how much we care.