Soft Energy

 Sometimes, I feel that the gift of "just being" in the present--with whatever happens to be there-is enough. When I say "enough", I don't mean that there is nothing to do. To the contrary, that soft presence comes from recognizing that there is infinite to do, and never enough time to do it all. There are certainly endless books to be read in my personal library, endless chores to be done, endless work at work, etc. There is never any end to the work that needs to be done. And yet, one can be softly present to it, not urgently trying to finish everything all at once.

   Sometimes, I do feel the soft presence of others; it is a living and natural energy, and one can sometimes feel it more in some than in others. It can be cultivated, I believe, simply through the recognition that there is nothing that urgent or pressing: things will be done in their own time. But also, this energy needs to be fearless. It is not ashamed of itself, and it doesn't feel it needs to be anything more or less than what it is in the moment, so it does not try to shift shape with every passing circumstance.

   Soft presence is an energy that itself is a gift to others. This is challenging to understand, but I believe that the power to put others at ease by having a do-nothing attitude is one of the most glorious gifts that one can truly give to others. It is a monumental contribution in a world where people are constantly running around trying to add things to their resume. Such kind of a gentle and soft nothingness is what's needed to counteract pride; rage and anger in not having status; jealousy of others; inferiority complexes; chronic insecurity or feeling one has not "done enough", etc.