Life throws curveballs all the time.  We mistake getting caught in the moment for presence when the reality is being present means we never get caught in anything.  We also mistake distraction for presence.  For example, scrolling social media or binge watching episodes of shows isn’t being present.  That’s escaping to another world—and there is NO judgement there.  Honestly there’s a time and place for that.  Our brain has a need to detach and indulge in distraction every now and then.  But the brain isn’t meant to stay there.  So now we pose a question about presence: What if you woke up only with what you said you were grateful for yesterday?  Presence requires a state of awareness for how we feel and appreciating the moment we are in.  It isn’t to say we attach to the moment or the feeling, but we allow ourselves to feel it all the same.

If all we have left is what we said we were grateful for, what would life look like?  Would life become smaller?  Or would it become expansive?  Suddenly things we didn’t think about or things we took for granted become important.  If that list is what we are appreciative of, suddenly we look around us with laser focus.  We see the good in what we have.  We acknowledge our accomplishments.  We recognize and honor our abilities.  We have room for those we love—and the petty differences fade away.  What about time and how we spend it?  We’ve been taught that money is an important commodity but the truth is the most valuable currency we have is time.  That is something that once spent we can’t get back.  So take the time to develop that appreciation for life and understand the curveballs aren’t meant to derail us, they are meant to signal to us what’s important.