Present

This morning, as I reflect, I find myself sitting with a simple but grounding question.

Where am I being asked to stay present instead of searching for clarity?

On my morning walk, the sun was already up, but hidden behind thick clouds. The light was there, even if I couldn’t see it directly. Birds were moving from tree to tree. Squirrels darted across the path. The air felt cool and alive. And it hit me that sometimes, in our search for the sun, we miss the nature already surrounding us.

We spend so much time trying to fix things. To decide. To explain. To prove. We search for clarity as if it’s something we’ll find just a little farther down the road. But what if today isn’t about finding at all? What if it’s about staying present?

There’s a quiet shift that happens when gratitude replaces searching. When we stop looking for what’s missing and begin noticing what’s already here. When we stop trying to complete ourselves with something external and realize we are already being held.

As I reflected, I paid attention to what felt steady. I noticed what felt heavy. But most importantly, I listened for what felt quietly faithful. That steady presence that doesn’t demand answers. It just asks for awareness.

Some mornings, the body feels sluggish. Maybe sleep was short. Maybe yesterday’s choices caught up with me. And the mind immediately wants to jump to what’s next. What needs fixing. What needs changing. But today, I paused and asked a different question. What is being formed in me right now?

When I let go of urgency, comparison, and outcome, a simple truth remains. It’s just me. My breath. This moment.

The sun is still there. The earth is still moving. Nature is still stirring. Dogs bark in the distance. Life continues unfolding, whether I rush it or not.

So today, I choose presence. I choose to embrace what’s in front of me. I choose gratitude over grasping. And I move forward obedient to the quiet direction I’m being led, trusting that clarity will come in its own time.