{"id":101,"date":"2011-12-07T17:38:22","date_gmt":"2011-12-07T17:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/patriciaesposito.wordpress.com\/?p=101"},"modified":"2024-02-12T00:43:30","modified_gmt":"2024-02-12T00:43:30","slug":"in-a-present-space-and-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/patriciaesposito.com\/?p=101","title":{"rendered":"In a Present Space and Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We daydream when we&#8217;re driving, right, in that quiet space and time? Oh, the radio might be playing, and sometimes a song draws us in. Or sometimes the music is just a rhythm in the background of our thoughts. It&#8217;s a bit of space in the day when we&#8217;re not doing work and chores, attending to meetings and phone calls, worrying about the news and the judgments in advertisement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Then we pull into the gas station, where sun shines off the pumps and the few decorative trees shiver a bit in the light wind. A landscaping truck is pulled beside the air pump; men stand about and talk. A white-haired woman holds her cash card, hesitant before fitting it to the slot. Pumping gas: a few minutes of stillness, a moment to let the world around sink in while there&#8217;s nothing else to do. Present\u2014for this moment we are in a present space and time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"681\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/patriciaesposito.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-harrison-haines-2869635.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-287\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/patriciaesposito.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-harrison-haines-2869635-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C681&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/patriciaesposito.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-harrison-haines-2869635-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/patriciaesposito.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-harrison-haines-2869635-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C511&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/patriciaesposito.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-harrison-haines-2869635-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1022&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/patriciaesposito.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/08\/pexels-harrison-haines-2869635-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1363&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption>Be in the present space and time. Image by Harrison Haines, on Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Except now, when I open my door, I&#8217;m blasted with talk. Gas station TVs, commercials talking at me, media overload. Loud voices crash over the vibration of leaves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I don&#8217;t like this innovation. The body is most at rest when it&#8217;s in the present, experiencing the moment that is. Even stressful times can be better managed if we don&#8217;t look ahead, aren&#8217;t bombarded with all the possibilities at hand. At the gas pump, I can&#8217;t walk away. The video screen has found a hostage audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The men who lean against the truck, cross their legs comfortably and laugh with each other. They&#8217;re far enough away not to hear. I want an option. An off switch.  I want to lean like those men into only the sounds of sunlight on chrome.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Do you have any moments in the day when you feel more aware of your surroundings? Would you like to share a memory of a time you felt present and at peace? <br><br>For a more in depth look at the benefits of being present, take a moment here: <a href=\"https:\/\/positivepsychology.com\/present-moment\/\">https:\/\/positivepsychology.com\/present-moment\/<\/a> .<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We daydream when we&#8217;re driving, right, in that quiet space and time? Oh, the radio might be playing, and sometimes a song draws us in. Or sometimes the music is just a rhythm in the background of our thoughts. It&#8217;s a bit of space in the day when we&#8217;re not doing work and chores, attending [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[59,62],"tags":[95,19,31,96],"class_list":["post-101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fiction_and_poetry_author_patricia_esposito","category-grammar-and-editing","tag-being-present","tag-gas-station-tv","tag-quiet-time","tag-writing-to-be-present"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>In a Present Space and Time - Life&#039;s Seductive Beauty<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pumping gas was once a quiet activity, a chance to be present in space and time. 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