Reflect

Take a moment to bring to mind a memory of a time you felt fully present to whatever was happening in your life. All of your attention was effortlessly focused on the experience that was unfolding. Allow yourself to recall what this felt like in your body, mind, and heart. It can be tempting to think that the only way to cultivate presence, whether in good times or hard ones, is to sit in meditation or go on retreat. These  are certainly helpful, but the ultimate goal is to live our daily lives with presence, to allow ourselves to experience the joys, the sorrows, and all the ordinary in between. Doing so ensures that we don’t miss what’s offered to us, that we don’t get to the end of our days and wish that we had leaned into life more fully.