The Journaling Muse – Issue #24 The Art of Being Here
A short midsummer practice for presence, peace, and creative flow.
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Hi, Dear Reader,
A few years ago, I was painting in Jennifer Tan’s studio in Kuala Lumpur. The hours would disappear. I’d forget my coffee. Forget to drink water. I’d paint with my beautiful long brushes—and sometimes unknowingly with my hair. That’s what presence feels like: full immersion. No past. No future. Just now.
And in that now, I always felt lighter. More alive. It helped me survive while I was suffering from chronic pain and a herniated disc. I could forget about the pain. This is the quiet gift of mindfulness.
Why Mindfulness Matters
Being present doesn’t require silence or stillness. It just means we stop spinning in what was—or what might be—and soften into what is. Even a few seconds of presence can calm the body, lift the mood, and open space for creativity to breathe again.
Tiny Mindfulness Practices
Try one right now, or save it for later today:
Mindful Breath: Inhale gently. Exhale slowly. Feel the pause.
Five Senses Check-In: What do you see, hear, smell, feel, and taste right now?
Body Scan (30 seconds): Close your eyes. Notice where your attention goes. Stay with it for a moment.
Journaling Prompts
Describe a moment today when you felt truly “here.” What made it special?
What distractions pull you away—and how might you gently return?
How does being present affect your mood or energy?
(I felt it just yesterday—while cuddling my son’s puppy, who leapt into my son’s lap in panic when I turned on the vacuum cleaner. His soft little body trembling. We were all fully present in that moment.)
In progress
Creative Invitation
Presence can be playful, too.
Paint to Music: Pick a song. Let your hand follow the rhythm—no goal, no plan.
Touch and Draw: Gently touch different parts of your face—your cheek, nose, mouth, hair, ears. Close your eyes and focus on the sensation. Don’t worry about what you’re drawing or how it looks. Just let your hand move and express the feeling through color, shape, or line. It might feel strange at first—it did for me, the first time I tried it in KL—but something shifts when you stop trying and simply let it happen.
These small rituals invite your body, heart, and creativity into one single moment—now.
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No matter what you choose, I’m thankful our paths have touched. 🌿
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