Presence Without Resolution

"The present moment is the only moment in which we live.” Ernest Holmes

This feels especially fitting as we step into a new year grounded not in anticipation, but in presence.

Happy New Year, friends.

I rang in 2026 on a pickleball court — toasting the New Year with sparkling cider and noisemakers at Harvest Baptist Church in Jonesboro, Georgia. I must’ve had a little too much cider, because I woke up the next morning with I ❤️ Pickleball painted on my cheek. True story.

It wasn’t what I would’ve planned. And it was great fun!.

There was laughter, movement, and full participation — and somewhere between volleys and noisemakers, it struck me how rarely a new year actually begins the way we imagine it will.

Not with declarations. Not with dramatic shifts. Not with perfectly worded intentions or sacred ceremonies.

More often, it begins like this — present. Participating. Showing up exactly where we are.

No grand meaning required. Just being there. Laughing. Moving. Letting life meet us instead of trying to get ahead of it.

There was something quietly right about welcoming the year that way — not trying to make anything happen, not trying to start over perfectly, just stepping into the moment that was already unfolding.

It made me wonder how often we miss the beginning because we’re busy planning what it’s supposed to look like. What arises from being present is not effort. There is a silent internal agreement. A quiet settling --- nothing else is required.

Being present doesn’t push life forward. It allows life to reorganize naturally.

If you’d like to carry that spirit into the year ahead, here’s a gentle way to begin — no resolutions required.

A Simple Beginning Practice

Take a moment now and place your attention in your body. Notice your breath. Let things settle just a bit.

Then ask, softly:

What quality of being is asking to live through me this year?

You don’t need to answer it quickly. You don’t need to write it down.You don’t need to make it productive.

Let the question do the work.

Sometimes the year begins not with a plan, but with a pause. Not with effort, but with presence. Not with knowing, but with listening.

Wishing you a year that meets you gently — wherever you are.