We live a short drive from Mt. Mitchell, NC. So on a recent Saturday we decided to visit this magnificent place. As you approach the summit, the first stop is at an elevation of 6,578 ft. I parked our vehicle, and my first thought was to step out with camera and capture the high beauty before us.
As you might imagine, we were visually, and joyfully, stunned. But upon stepping out I was instantly frozen by the astounding silence. There was not a peep, cheep, or chirp. No cars rolling by, no motorcycles, bicycles, no one talking; not a sound. I stopped breathing momentarily to fully experience a volume of silence I had not known in years.
One incomparable method for understanding the art of presence is to experience the presence of art.
It is such an experience that another feels when the beautiful scene of our own inner territory is suddenly expressed−usually at a moment when who we really are is precisely what that individual most needs. In the beauty of trust you simply show up.
“Showing up is the key principle when we offer service to others. So often it is our presence alone, rather than some special ability, that makes the difference.” −Patricia Ryan Madson, Improv Wisdom
Sadly we are too often physically there but not present. In such a situation, there is no art.
Letting go into trust, a silence of service allows the other person the simple, powerful presence of art−the art of who you are in the stunning inner territory.
The art of your presence is just that; Your Presence.
See companion truth – Our Outer Accountability – Living Presence
Filed under: Ch. 5: Presence Tagged: Art, Presence, Present, Who You Really Are
