be Here

a fresh bid to embodiment

be Here.
in the here and now.
you have no need to leave.
why gain the world by escaping it
when you will simply lose your soul?

we’re in a day of disembodiment
attempts to remove us 
from the moment we’re in
and place us in moments we’re not.
major plans for the future.
great infatuations with the past.
yet little regard for the time 
that we have been allotted now.

we’re so high strung
so blind to the Beauty of life.
so tired from our nose to the grindstone
that we can’t even smell the roses.
what a terrible life to live!
we may be working 
but our bodies are simply tombs 
we’re all dead men walking 
when we remove ourselves 
from the moment we’re in.
all work and no play 
makes any man into a dull boy.

the food we eat 
is simply fuel for the next day
and not an invitation 
to a glorious symphony of taste.

the music we listen to 
is simply distraction in the car
and not a lovely expression 
that we couldn't speak with simply words.

the entertainment we consume is just that.
consumption.
and not a world of narrative
a story to fall in love with.

we’re disembodied from the moment
and too concerned 
with that which isn’t Beautiful.
when you disregard the Beauty of the now
She will not raise Her voice.
She will simply remain whispering
but you'll drown Her out with all your noise.

you can tell when someone 
has ears to listen to Her whisper.
it’s like the woman on my flight
who was dancing and laughing at her music. 
she cared not for the looks she may receive.
she was in the moment.
my book was ironically speaking on Beauty.
i was scoffing to myself 
at the woman's silliness
that is until i was interrupted.
a whisper. “look.”
and behold
mount hood out the window in the sun.
the Beauty my book was a signpost to
was there if i turned my head
and i was not in the moment to see it.
i did not hear Beauty’s whisper
but yet the woman saved me 
from missing the moment of embodiment.

it’s like the boy chasing a ball
at a coffee shop bar i was at.
his parents were too busy on their phones
concerned with the liturgy of adulthood.
always doing.
allergic to being.
we distract ourselves every moment we can
but the boy was Here.
he chose the better portion.
just him and the ball.
embodied enjoyment of the freedom
to run and feel the sun on his face.

we're too "busy." 
america's favourite adjective.
we parade it around like a trophy
as if doing more things
gives us any more value
we are fools! 
we miss the trees for the forest
we mistake a loaded calendar
for a more weighty worth.
but look to Christ
the Man who walked around
eating with the sinners
serving the poor
healing the sick
telling stories
asking questions.
He fulfilled His mission 
without one google calendar appointment.
simply hard work
and hard rest.
embodiment.
He listened to Beauty's whispers.
do not reject His Wisdom.

do not cash in your embodiment
for the pride of the busy schedule.
the trophy of busyness
is made of fool's gold.
do less and be more.

why try to leave the moment
in search for something better
when you’re meant to be right Here?
why search for Beauty elsewhere
when She’s already whispering in your ear?
do not drown out Her voice.
do not concern yourself with noise.
listen to Her.
embrace Her.
and you will be embodied.

so read the book.
watch the show.
go to work.
work long and hard.
but don’t forget 
to eat and drink and be merry.
don’t be so caught up in the chase
that you forget
that often what you are chasing
is just a head turn away.
be Here.
and you just might get There.
or maybe not.
but at least you were Here.

---

“Have the eyes to see the Beauty of Jesus in all His Creation.”
- Josh Nadeau
pg. 200 of “Room for Good Things to Run Wild”

---

The setting of the boy with the ball in the corner, while I was reading the book from the plane. (read this book.)