Mindful Monday: Home Is This Moment

I’m writing this after being immersed in a beautiful three-day retreat. My mind is quiet, my body is relaxed, and there is a soft spaciousness within and all around me. 

There really aren’t words for what unfolded over the weekend. It wasn’t something that happened to me. It was more like settling into a deeper way of being — a felt sense of presence, and an immense well of gratitude.

And what I feel inspired to share with you right now is a simple walk I took in the woods last week with a friend. The colours were vibrant, the air was fresh, and the forest felt alive with its own quiet wisdom.

As we were leaving the woods, I felt pulled to take a photo. Then another. And another. The images were simple — a leaf, a branch, a burst of colour — yet each one spoke directly to my soul.

When I got home and looked at the photos again, I felt myself soften. The beauty, the simplicity, the uniqueness of each image touched me.

Nothing was trying to be anything other than what it was.

Everything was simply itself.

And it was perfect in its own way.

During the retreat, that feeling deepened. It was like returning home to my true nature — the same nature reflected in the woods: quiet, spacious, beautiful, uncontrived.

I was reminded that the journey home is always here, in this moment. There is nothing to fix.

What falls away over time are the obscurations — the veils, stories, and self-images we inherited through conditioning and life experiences.

These layers are not who we are. They are illusions… and illusions dissolve in presence.

Nature teaches this so effortlessly.

When I spend time in nature, my soul feels nourished simply by witnessing being itself. A curled leaf. A cluster of berries. A heart-shaped leaf hanging on longer than the others.

Nature shows me again and again the beauty, simplicity, and depth of being exactly as I am.

The ego, however, whispers differently — sometimes subtly, sometimes loudly:
Fix this.
Improve that.
Lose this.
Become more.
Do better.

It is never satisfied with the now.

But something I continue to experience on a deeper level is that it’s okay. The ego doesn’t need to disappear. It doesn’t need to be conquered. This approach only fuels the fire and keeps it in place. 

What matters is awareness — the moment I notice I’m not present, I have already returned to presence. That single choice is powerful. It’s transformative. It creates space for a deeper understanding and integration. And it is available to each and every one of us in every moment. 

Looking back at the photos from my walk—the vibrant berries, the varied shapes and textures—I’m reminded of the many ways nature mirrors us.

We, too, are unique, evolving, beautiful, and enough exactly as we are.

May we continue to remember who we truly are and meet one another through a lens of clarity, compassion, and truth—one moment at a time.

With love,