This bald headed brain periodically comes up with some strange phrases. Sometimes they make sense and sometimes they don’t. Occasionally, I share those phrases with folks because they can be a bit comical or ironic. I’m not really sure which the following phrase might be but here goes!
The phrase is this: “You Can Only Be Where You Are. You Can’t Be Where You Aren’t!” See? I told you . . . strange phrase. And yet, there is truth there that bears further investigation.
You can only BE where you are. A surface look is obvious. If you are currently in the middle of a Walmart Store in Spokane, Washington then that is the only place you can BE, physically. Until or unless you activate some physics law that allows you to be two places at the same time, you are stuck where you are – that is until you decide to walk, run, drive or fly to another location. You can only be where you are!
Just under the surface of the obvious lies the real challenge to this phrase. You can only BE where you are. In other words, you can only interact, choose, observe, listen, speak, give, love, reject or . . . you get the picture . . . You can’t do those things in a place where you aren’t. Learning to BE present where you are is one requirement of this phrase. Learning to BE mindful where you are is another requirement. Learning to BE purposeful where you are is still another requirement!
The problem is that we tend either want to be somewhere else or fail to realize the potential of the place in which we find ourselves. When we focus on our desire to be somewhere else rather than where we are, we miss chances to learn, engage, share, serve, receive and grow. Learning to BE where we are can make a world of difference for us and others as well.
So, the next time you find yourself wishing you could be anywhere other than where you are, think of this phrase: “You Can Only Be Where You Are. You Can’t Be Where You Aren’t!” Then, take a moment and just BE where you are and see what happens!
Peace!
Mark E. Hundley
