Years ago, I was powering through a typical evening—emails pinging, mental to-do lists scrolling, dinner bubbling, and messages flying across my phone screen. I was physically there but completely somewhere else.
Then came a voice that cut through the noise.
“Mommy, are you alive?”
My daughter had been talking to me about her day. I hadn’t heard a word.
Her question stopped me cold.
Yes, I was breathing. Yes, my eyes were open. But in that moment, I wasn’t really there—not for her, not for me. I had drifted into the distracted autopilot that so many of us fall into. And from her tiny but mighty perspective, it looked like I had checked out completely.
It was one of those moments that grabs you by the shoulders and shakes you awake.
Because the truth is, our presence—or our absence—is felt. Especially by our kids. And while the world won’t stop buzzing with alerts, updates, and demands, that doesn’t mean we have to let it steal the moments that matter most.
That moment reminded me why I started the Be Present Project in the first place. I wanted to live with intention—not just exist. I wanted to give the people I love my full attention. I wanted to feel more alive, not just busy.
Let’s be real: it’s never been harder to stay present. Between endless emails, social media scrolls, streaming content, and AI-everything, we are living in the most distracted era in human history. And yet, the things that make us feel truly alive have not changed.
It’s not the ping of a notification.
It’s not the rush of a “like.”
It’s not inbox zero.
It’s hearing your child’s belly laugh.
It’s a long hug with someone who really sees you.
It’s deep conversations, quiet victories, and full-soul moments that can’t be captured on a screen.
If you’re looking for more of that—if you’re longing to feel grounded, connected, alive—the answer isn’t in doing more.
The answer is presence.
Not perfection. Not unplugging forever. Just showing up, fully, for the things that matter most.
That day, I put my phone down. I sat with my daughter and asked her to tell me everything from the beginning. I didn’t get anything “done” in those 20 minutes. But I’ll tell you what—I lived every second of it. And so did she.
Let’s stop letting our lives slip through our fingers in a fog of urgency and distraction. Let’s reclaim our aliveness by choosing to be present—one moment at a time.
Because when you choose to be present, that’s when you’re truly living.
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