Being with Grace
By Dr. Lisa Templeton, Ph.D.
For some time, I have been considering the meaning of the word grace. We have all heard the word used in many connotations referring to the grace of Mother Mary, the grace of a deer, the grace of forgiveness. So, what does grace really mean? Is it compassion for another or forgiving of harm? Is it about movements and flow that feels effortless? Does grace relate to elegance and poise? Patience, love, and softness? What about present moment awareness?
Grace seems to encompass all these qualities at the same time. Grace seems to live in between the moments of “doing” and it somehow arrives more consciously when intentionally invited. To access it, we must be in the moment, slow down and set an intention to receive it. Perhaps grace is something beyond us and/or within us, living beneath the din of our cell phones, news, and social media. Consider in this moment how you can connect with the qualities of grace, including compassion, patience, poise, ease, softness, and effortlessness. In whatever way you might define the term grace, consider expanding your mind to consider all these qualities occurring at once. Each happening in the present moment. We just need to be aware of what is happening and the rhythms of how these higher vibrational qualities feel to us in the moment.
Start with this brief exercise. Take a deep breath. Slow down your thoughts, give it a little time with some patience. Exhale deeply, inhale deeply. Now imagine a beautiful deer on the edge of a deep green forest just grazing and frolicking in a field. Notice how it moves with sure-footed confidence. There is no worry, there is no tension – only present moment awareness, living in the now and in the beauty of the moment, alert and attuned.
If we listen to the present moment, we will always find those aspects of grace. Generally, when we set an intention to look for it, we will find it. That sweet peace deep within that is full of care and kindness. Showing up for ourselves and each other with a soft presence creates more strength and resiliency. This also brings more harmonious flow and rhythm to our lives. In a world that seems to embrace chaos and dissonance, we must take agency and stay connected to our own mind, body, and spirit with love.
Practice imagining the deer and sitting with this energy of being totally connected to the present moment. The deer is not thinking about the past or the future, only the moment at hand. Ask for grace to come into your life; listen and look for the softness, effortlessness, harmony, love, and compassion of grace. Experiment and play with it. Whatever this energy is, it is here in every present moment to help us get through life’s incredible difficulties. Even if you are not religious or spiritual, you can consider and connect with it. Grace lives in the present moment; yet, it is within us, as we are made from the universe itself. Play and frolic around like the deer listening for the energy of grace and stay in the moment to notice what happens.