Being present doesn’t mean being happy. It means being here for whatever this is.

Presence is not a mood, which is a relief, because otherwise you could only manage it on good days. Being here for a dull hour, an anxious one or a sad one is still being here, and the alternative is leaving: the phone, the noise, the half-attention that makes an unpleasant stretch slightly blurrier without making it shorter. Staying does not require enjoying.

If today is heavy, you might stay in it without numbing it for one hour. Notice what is actually happening rather than what it means about your life.