By Marija Eljuga | Featured Contributor

Living in London I cannot help noticing a few of the least fortunate of us, sitting out on the street and asking for help.

Do we give them the money or do we not? What good does it do? To us? To them? I have no suggestion as to an answer to these questions, at all. Except that we follow our own feelings as we choose to give or choose not to give. To support charities, to hand food or money directly? I don’t know.

I see sometimes passersby dropping a coin or two while hurrying about their business, often possibly avoiding to look at the person whom they give the money to. I keep wondering if it might be possible—instead of just dropping the coin or a sandwich in—that we could also glance at this human being; for one second, a fraction of a second, to give them our full attention: You are a fellow human being and I can see you. A nod, a look that says it. You are a human being and I see you. You do exist. I can see you. I feel this would be the greatest gift we can give them. Without pity, judgment or intrusion into their psychological space, whatsoever.

A fraction of a second, you might ask? Yet if about twenty percent of us—of the crowd passing by—would take the trouble to do this, maybe the unfortunate fellow human being would receive enough space for themselves to start feeling that he or she can find the way to also stay present, give attention to what is troubling in themselves—and through this reach the start of their own healing process.

For what troubles us heals and eases out when we give enough attention to it. One little step at a time. Very gently. To observe each detail of the troubling element by consciously choosing to bring our attention to it – to what the story line of it is, how we feel, and how our body responds as we bring our attention to it. This is the path to heal even that which may have brought us to sit on the street.

For none of us knows what the future holds, but whatever it does, we can heal…

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About the Author – Marija Eljuga

Marija Eljuga started her inspirational blog Kounselling three years ago with an aim of contributing to the growing mental health and wellbeing movement. She views this as part of the evolutionary process, a process in which we can consciously participate by becoming more aware of our body sensations, feelings and the cognitive aspect (the story line) of our traumatic and otherwise undesirable experiences, in order to grow through them. Her aim is to empower individuals and groups in this respect.

Visit Marija’s Blog

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