For these initial posts, I’ll do my best to share how I’m thinking about the life domains and connection practices. In this first one, we’re exploring the domain of Self and the practice of Presence.
As a quick recap:
- Self is your inner world—your thoughts, emotions, values, and identity.
- Presence is being fully here—wherever here is.
I wish I could say this never happened, but there have been more times than I care to admit when my wife has leaned in and asked, “Are you okay?” I actually appreciate that part. The part I’m not proud of is my usual response: “I’m fine.” And if I’m honest, I wasn’t. Not really.
Still, I’m grateful for her question. It always invites me to pause and reconnect—to check in with what I’m thinking and feeling, and to make a shift if needed. It reminds me that being present starts with being honest. I’m still learning how to receive that question openly and quickly, without defensiveness. Because truthfully, I would rather be present than disconnected. I would rather be aware of what’s happening in and around me than checked out or running on autopilot.
Sometimes, being present means catching myself in the swirl of internal noise before it turns into external distance. It means choosing to stop, breathe, and feel what’s going on—without rushing to fix it.
Lately, I’ve found that one of the simplest ways I return to presence is through a cup of coffee. It might sound small, but it helps if you let it. In the year after graduating college I would use that brew time to scoop a handful of M&Ms into my mouth in the morning.....not a great way to use that time. But now I let the warmth of the mug in my hands, the rhythm of the pour, and the aroma guide me into a moment to pause, to slow down, to settle into myself.
Presence doesn’t require perfection—it just asks us to return. Again and again.
What’s one small ritual that helps you return to yourself today?
