By Paul Reilly
Monday evening, my youngest and I took an evening stroll through the fresh snowfall. It was a simple, peaceful moment. Our walk turned into an impromptu winter-wonderland scavenger hunt. We searched for animal tracks in the snow, fresh tire tracks on driveways, Christmas wreaths on doors, and colorful lights shining through the powdery snow.
It’s usually only in retrospect that you recognize the importance of these moments. Christmas lights and the moon illuminated the freshly laid snow. The cold air burned my chest, my nose filled with the indescribable scent of winter, and the snow crunching under my feet made the moment wonderful, peaceful, and real. I felt like a character in a Robert Frost poem.
We checked off everything on our list and made it home just in time to watch The Grinch with the rest of the family.
What made it remarkable wasn’t just the scenery or the company of my daughter. It was a rare, different, and wonderfully out-of-rhythm moment. Monday is usually busy on all fronts: travel to the next gig, taking appointments, checking emails, organizing the week, and shuttling kids to and from practice. You know those moments, too. But this evening was different. It was a moment of true presence, and it was amazing.
I was most struck by what didn’t happen…
- I wasn’t stressing over tomorrow’s to-do list.
- I wasn’t concerned about upcoming projects.
- I wasn’t thinking about next year’s goals.
I was simply there. That’s the power of presence. In those moments, our worries, goals, stresses, and dreams cannot break our focus. Experiencing this moment validated an important question posed in one of my favorite books: Can any one of you, by worrying, add a single moment to your life?
Another way to view that question: Can any one of you, by worrying, add more life to your moments?
These experiences aren’t limited to family time. They happen with friends and at work too. It happens when you’re fully present with a client, working with your team, or standing on a stage. When you fully immerse yourself in the moment, you unlock a deeper level of connection and a richer understanding of the people you’re serving. That’s the power of presence.
As we enter the holiday season, I encourage you to stay present. It’s tempting to focus on schedules and worry about projects. That’s a familiar road we’ve all traveled. Try taking the road less traveled this season, choose presence. Who knows? That one decision may make all the difference.