I am writing about presence when this waitress walks over and starts bothering me

I am writing  these words: We must be present in order to experience the wonder right before our eyes when this waitress walks up and starts bothering me.Gahhhhh! She is driving me crazy. Chattering to me, distracting me, breaking my concentration. I am frustrated and upset. I want to write about Divine Love. She is ruining everything! As she walks away, I think, Thank Heaven! Maybe NOW I can get back to this blog post about unconditional love. And then...Oh, the angels are so crafty. They do things like this. All the time.I hope I don't look like a crazy person, sitting here laughing but I find this so funny... I... this is hilarious. Tears streaming down my cheeks, I cannot stop laughing.I am writing about unconditional love. About presence to what is right here before us. About letting the divine look through our eyes. And love is walking over to me - over and over - and instead of SEEING as the divine might see  - I am hurling hate darts at this waitress.I am hurling hate darts at Love. I wipe my eyes with a napkin. I shake my head. This is just...And here she is again, the waitress, bubbling with friendly invitation.I turn toward her and suddenly, all I see is love: her wide-open face, her childlike, welcoming heart, inviting me to connect, to converse. She is not bothering me, she, Puckish and playful, is inviting me out of my head and back to real life - and the present moment.As she walks away, I notice other things: the music, a sweet, high-pitched song with flute and piano and a strange, high-pitched whistle. I notice the fans gently turning the air, the water dripping from the ice where the oysters are stored. I am noticing what Love notices. And it's not my theories and lofty ideas. Love is interested in my fingers, dancing across the keys, their dexterity, the wrinkles on each knuckle, the gleam of the gold ring on my left hand. Love, it seems, is interested in everything – the snow heaped in the parking lot, the light through the bottles – green, gold, red jewels – lined up above the bar.Love is focused on the details, the smooth edge of this white china cup, this small pitcher of cream, the rich, smoky flavor of this imported tea, the tiny salt crystals and pebbly grey pepper in these glass shakers.In just the kind of paradox the Divine loves, I see that awareness happens not only in the yoga studio or house of worship. It , the mountain retreat. But everywhere - here at this table, there in that heap of snow, here in the bright eyes of this waitress, interrupting my work with a bright burst of love.

I gave myself this extra credit assignment. You might like to try it, too. In the presence of a person or situation with which you are in conflict, let the Divine step forward. See this person and this conflict through the eyes of Love. Think with the mind of Love. Feel with the heart of Love. Open. Willing. Appreciating everything.

(This post was originally published in January, 2011. Updated in April 2018 - with this Soul Call Card reading - because I love it so.)(Curious about the cards? Read more about them  here.)