Yesterday, I celebrated my birthday by giving myself the gift of presence. I woke to a sunny, winter cold day, enjoyed breakfast with a purring cat nestled in my lap, and spent time writing about the last year and my intentions for the next.

As words filled the page, I could feel myself sink into the moment and into a kind of alignment with life that felt good. From this peaceful, centered space, I wrote:

When I come here to write, to spend time with myself, to listen more deeply to what wants to be heard, I tap into a stream of love ever present to us all.

I could feel this love well up inside me as my words filled the page, suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude for all that had happened over the last year – the tough experiences and the joyful ones. In this present moment, I had all I ever wanted and needed, and I just wanted to stay here.

It’s hard to put the experience of presence into words, because it’s an experience. It’s a spiritually generous place where we feel connected to ourselves, others, and Life itself. It’s also a place that fills us with a desire to share this love in whatever way we can.

The older I get, the more I feel compelled to focus my attention and intention on this truth: The present moment is the only moment that matters. When we make returning to this state a priority, Life handles the rest. Suffering softens, help and resources appear, and we find great comfort in the clarity that takes over.

I was happy to have started my birthday without any plans and with the solitude my soul needed to speak. As my writing came to an end, the entry finished with a reminder that I’d like to tattoo to the insides of my eyelids:

Come home to yourself, sweetheart, again and again. Relax your “doing” muscles and let your “being” muscles take center stage. If you make this your only goal for the coming year, love will draw you in, wrap you in its arms, and keep you under its spell.

And in the coming year, I can’t think of any place I’d rather be ❤️.

Love,

Cheryl

P.S. – Enjoy new stories and memories, and helpful “affirmation meditations” in my new audiobook with Louise Hay called “You Can Create an Exceptional Life,” by learning more here.