In The Presence Of Truth Part 2: A Bedtime Story

Hello dear ones and welcome to our story today In the presence of truth Part two As always just taking a few moments to arrive in the space Maybe taking some longer inhales and exhales If you're in bed,

Maybe snuggling down into your duvet Stretching out your body Maybe taking a big yawn Just taking some moments to arrive here now And when you're ready dear ones,

We will continue with our story The next week as the weather shifted and the first signs of winter began to show Emily returned to Margaret's house It had become a place she looked forward to A quiet sanctuary where she could leave the noise of her life and listen Truly listen To the wisdom that seemed to flow effortlessly from Margaret This time Margaret had set up an old wooden table in front of the fire Two cups of tea waiting on either side and a plate of shortbread sitting in the middle The house was calm almost timeless Like it had always been there quietly observing the world outside Sit Emily,

Margaret said Gesturing to the chair across from her Today we're going to talk about time Emily raised an eyebrow time Margaret nodded Yes It's a tricky thing time We think we understand it But we really don't Emily sat Taking a sip of the tea as she listened I suppose time does feel strange sometimes It's like I'm always running out of it Always trying to keep up with it Margaret chuckled softly That's the illusion my dear Time doesn't run out Time simply is We are the ones who try to outrun it to measure it to control it But the truth is Time doesn't care about our clocks and our schedules It flows on with or without us But if time is so Independent Emily began Trying to grasp the concept Why does it feel so urgent Like everything has to happen at a certain moment or it's too late Margaret leaned forward Her expression soft but intent Because we have been taught to fear time We believe that we must fit into its tiny box That we must accomplish everything Before it's too late But this too is an illusion Time doesn't rush us We rush ourselves We believe that we must get things done That we must live our best lives And we exhaust ourselves in the process Emily felt a pang in her chest As though Margaret's words had pierced through something deep inside her So We've been going about it all wrong Margaret gave a small smile In a way,

Yes But we're not wrong We're human We are conditioned to think this way But if we stop fighting time If we stop worrying about how much we have or don't have We might begin to live differently You see,

Time is not a thief It is a gift A gift that we can only truly appreciate When we stop trying to control it Emily sat back Letting the weight of the words settle over her But how do I stop worrying about time?

It feels like everything I do is tied to it Every decision,

Every action Feels like it's framed by a deadline Margaret's eyes softened And she placed her hand gently over Emily's The key is presence,

Emily The key is to be fully in the moment Without worrying about what comes next When you do that You will see that the moment you are in Is all that matters That it is enough It is whole Time,

As we understand it Is a human construct It isn't real in the way we think it is The only thing that is real Is the now Emily closed her eyes for a moment Letting the idea of it sink in But how do I stay present?

It feels like my mind is always pulling me away Always telling me to plan ahead To worry about what's next Margaret smiled As if she had been waiting for Emily to ask that That's normal,

She said,

Softly The mind will always pull you away from the present It's its job to keep you thinking Worrying Planning But you can train it Just as you train your body Every time you feel your mind wandering Gently bring it back To the here and now Focus on your breath Focus on the small things around you The way the light hits the warm The sound of the wind The taste of your tea These small moments are where time reveals its true beauty Emily nodded slowly It sounded so simple Yet she knew it would be difficult But the thought of living without the constant pressure of time Was liberating So The secret is just to let go?

Margaret's smile widened Exactly Let go of the need to control Let go of the fear of missing out When you are present You are exactly where you need to be And that is enough There was a long silence between them And for a moment Emily simply sat there Taking in the stillness of the room The warmth of the fire And the quiet certainty that Margaret's words carried For the first time in a long while She didn't feel the need to rush anywhere To think about what was next She just was How do you do it?

Emily asked quietly Looking at Margaret who seemed so at peace with everything Margaret laughed softly I've had many years to practice She said with a twinkle in her eye And many years of mistakes to learn from But the trick is to be kind to yourself Don't be so hard on yourself For not being perfect None of us are We are all just learning One moment at a time Emily smiled The tension in her chest easing Just a little more One moment at a time She repeated softly I can do that Margaret nodded Her gaze soft Of course you can And you will And when you do You will find That you have all the time you need The sun had begun its slow descent Casting long shadows across Margaret's living room She stood now by the window Staring out at the garden Her arms folded across her chest Her gaze was distant But there was a sense of peace in her posture As though the passing of time Which she spoke so often about Had no real power over her The trees outside were shedding their leaves A cascade of gold and rust Falling gently to the ground Margaret watched them Her thoughts quiet But not empty There were moments when she felt the weight of her years The toll they had taken on her body But it didn't bother her She had made peace with it long ago Life was not about avoiding the inevitable It was about how you lived as it unfolded Her movements were slow As she went to the kitchen to prepare her evening meal Just the simple broth she had made In her own way It was a ritual The chopping of vegetables The simmering of herbs There was something deeply meditative about it After the broth was prepared Margaret set the table for one The chair was set The silverware polished But it was always just her There had been others long ago But they were all memories now They had faded into the distance Like the seasons And she had learned not to mourn them People came and went But life Life was constant She sat down at the table Spoon in hand But before taking the first bite She closed her eyes A moment of stillness She allowed herself to feel the warmth of the food The weight of her own presence in the room The very act of simply being And then she ate Slowly Deliberately Savouring the taste The smallest of joys She thought Were often the most profound The walk home from Margaret's house was always a quiet one Emily didn't mind it There was something comforting about the sound of her footsteps on the pavement The rhythmic tapping of her shoes echoing in the stillness She had become accustomed to the silence that followed her Like a shadow she couldn't shake Even when she tried She reached her small apartment A modest space That she had made her own Though it never truly felt like it belonged to her It was neat but sterile The walls bare except for a few pictures And none of them particularly meaningful Just things she had collected over the years The furniture was functional But there was no warmth to the space It had never felt like a place of sanctuary Just the place to rest between the busyness of life As she set down her keys She caught sight of herself in the hallway mirror She had changed,

She realised Not on the outside At least not much But there was something different in her eyes There was a quiet openness there A softness that hadn't been there before She moved to the kitchen Opening the fridge without thinking And began to make herself a cup of tea It was almost automatic now But as she waited for the water to boil She paused Her gaze drifting to the window To the view of the city outside Everything seemed so far away As though she were disconnected from it all She had been so wrapped up in her own thoughts Her own loneliness That the world outside had become a distant thing She had kept people at arm's length for so long But now After the quiet,

Gentle wisdom Margaret had shared She wondered if maybe There was another way Maybe there was space for connection For joy Even in the midst of her quiet,

Solitary life She was beginning to understand That the walls she had built Weren't as solid as she once believed They were just walls Temporary things Meant to protect her from the world But perhaps also From herself The kettle whistled Pulling her from her thoughts She poured the boiling water into her cup Her hands steady Taking a deep breath She carried it to the couch Settling into her spot Wrapping herself in the warmth of the tea And the quiet of the room She closed her eyes Just for a moment And in that fleeting stillness She felt something shift within her Maybe tomorrow would be different Maybe it wouldn't But for now She was here And that was enough Thank you for watching