By Judy Ringer
As I was heading through the crowded hotel lobby toward my last conference session at the recent Pegasus Conference, thinking of a zillion things, including making the bus to the airport, I happened to pass Yoichi. I stopped briefly to thank him one more time for his generosity in volunteering to be my partner for the Aikido demonstrations in the workshop I gave. Skilled, kind
, and adaptable, Yoichi was the ideal uke, the partner who attacks, receives the throw, and falls, over and over again.
I stopped in that way I have of not actually stopping. I mean, I pause physically, but my body and mind are on the way to the next thing I have to do. But Yoichi really stopped. Yoichi was centered in that moment--he was with me completely--and his presence stopped me, too. It was like waking up. I was at rest and present with another human being.
I thanked him as planned; he received my gratitude gracefully and thanked me as well for the opportunity to engage. As we exchanged words, we also exchanged ki--energy, life force. The moment was brief, and the moment was ki.
As this season of holidays unfolds, with all we have to do and be, my wish for you (and me) is that we remember it's not how much we do but who we are, and that we are.
As you say hello to the loved one you haven't seen in days, months, or years, stop and be there, as Yoichi was there. When your friend or coworker asks for a moment of your time, stop your internal dialogue and make them the center of attention. Become single minded.
Your presence is the greatest gift you can give.
Judy Ringer is the author of Unlikely Teachers: Finding the Hidden Gifts in Daily Conflict. She provides conflict and communication training throughout North America with unique workshops based on mind-body principles from the martial art Aikido, in which she holds a black belt. Click here for more information.