Opening the Door a Little Wider, a Thursday Offering

Practicing full presence without collapsing into performance or retreat, two free offerings

I keep coming back to the moment in Tuesday’s piece when I realized I’d been offering people rooms. Not the whole place. Only the parts I knew how to manage.

Writing it felt like cracking open a long-locked door I didn’t realize I still guarded.

What surprised me most wasn’t the fear. It was the softness under it. The part of me that actually wants to try something real. The part that isn’t satisfied with curated closeness anymore.

I used to think letting someone see the center required boldness. Now it feels more like quiet honesty. Staying with myself while letting someone else stay too.

That’s the pulse behind this week’s offerings. Small ways to practice full presence without collapsing into performance or retreat.

Free Offerings

Journal Reflection

My Patterns of Partial Presence

A writing practice for noticing the quiet ways you keep connection at arm’s length.

Recall a relationship that felt unsteady or thin. Write about what you tended to share and what stayed hidden. Describe the ways you hold a bit of space between you and another person. Name what you protect when you step back.

Then imagine what might shift if you showed up whole.

End with: “I am learning to be fully present rather than perfectly curated.“

If this feels too sharp, start with relationships that feel less charged. Give yourself room to notice patterns without slipping into self-blame.

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Personal Mantra

I Can Be Fully Present

A short practice to strengthen the sense that your whole self can be here.

Sit in a steady position and place a hand on your heart. Breathe in a way that helps you meet yourself.

Repeat: “I can be fully present.” Let each repetition land in your body.

Try variations like “I am undivided” or “I can show up whole.”

Close with: “My whole self is safe to be witnessed.”

If this feels too bold, begin with “I am learning to be fully present” and keep the practice contained to safe places or safe people.

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Sometimes this gets you close to the doorway.

Our paid practices this week move a little deeper into what it feels like to try full presence in real time.

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