Thoughts on Presence:Engagement with the Less Desirable

As an improvisor I cultivate my ability to sense and surrender to the present moment: what do I see/hear/feel/touch/taste/think in this very moment and circumstance. I do allow my memory and imagination to activate based on what I perceive here and now, but my primary concern and focus is the details of now. This may seem obvious, but it is a difficult practice, one that requires vigilance. I realize that when we are lost or dissatisfied in the present situation, we often turn to a more clear or pleasant memory or projection into the future to cope the time and space at hand. As an improvisor, I must develop skills and courage to confront the challenges of the moment: to accept the confusion or immobility of the present in order to move to a new place. If I reject, deny or subvert the discomfort of the present, then my presence is gone and truth has vanished, progress and mobility is stalled. Engagement and embrace facilitate change, I remind myself.