just be itJust Be It is a practice of presence that recognizes the limits of language. When aware of silence there is a state of inner still alertness. You are wholeheartedly present.
Just be it is not another philosophy to adopt. It is an invitation to awaken. It asks us to become so present that the separation between ourselves and life begins to dissolve. The musician becomes the music. The runner becomes the run. The gardener becomes the garden. In these moments there is no performer trying to achieve; there is only participation.
Modern neuroscience speaks of the quieting of the default mode network. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi called it flow. Brother David Steindl-Rast called it wakeful attention. Zen simply points us back to this moment. Different languages, one territory. The common thread is that our deepest joy is found not in becoming somebody, but in fully inhabiting the gift of being here.
Choosing to embrace the sunrise with gratitude rather than digital distraction fosters a more peaceful and intentional daily existence.
While birds naturally greet the dawn with song, humans often default to checking digital devices. This immediate immersion in global conflict or outrage shapes our mental state negatively from the start. By choosing to mirror the avian instinct for wonder, we can consciously shift our mindset before our feet even hit the floor.
Cultivating Mindful Presence
Adopting a bird-like perspective encourages us to prioritize belonging over complaint. We can transform our daily experience through intentional shifts in perspective:
Shifting narratives: Move from the burden of “I have to be here” to the genuine gift of “I get to be here.”
Practicing presence: Acknowledge the current day as an opportunity rather than an obligation.
Limiting consumption: Reduce exposure to negative external information to preserve inner calm.
Ultimately, we have the agency to decide how we begin our day. By replacing cycles of anxiety with moments of appreciation, we honor the gift of existence, much like the rhythmic, grounding songs of the morning birds.
The Birds Know
God told the birds to greet the morning with song.
Before the traffic begins, before the headlines arrive, before the endless stream of opinions and distractions fills the air, the birds begin their daily service. They gather in the trees, on rooftops, along shorelines, and in the fields, welcoming another day.
The loon calls across the water, inviting us to wake up. The dove offers its gentle song of peace. The chickadee chatters with enthusiasm. And the robin, perhaps the most diligent of them all, is often the first to sing at sunrise and the last to sing at sunset.
For those willing to listen, they offer a daily lesson.
They do not begin their day by focusing on what is wrong. They do not gather to complain about yesterday. They do not rehearse their grievances or argue over who deserves blame. They simply participate in the miracle of another dawn.
Many of us have developed a different ritual. We wake and immediately reach for a device. Within moments, our minds are flooded with stories of conflict, disaster, outrage, scandal, and fear. We are invited to focus on everything that is broken, everything that threatens us, and everything that demands our attention.
There is value in being informed, but there is also danger in beginning each day by feeding dissatisfaction.
What we put our attention on grows stronger.
When we start the morning with complaint, complaint grows. When we start with fear, fear grows. When we start with gratitude, gratitude grows. Attention is nourishment. It feeds whatever we place before it.
The birds seem to understand this instinctively. Their first act is not complaint but participation. Not resistance but expression. Not fear but song.
Each morning they remind us that we have a choice.
We can begin the day with “I have to be here,” or we can begin with “I get to be here.”
One path leads toward dissatisfaction and scarcity. The other leads toward appreciation and enoughness.
I’m not sure whether my writings will fit or work for you. I simply put them out into the world with the intention of sharing what has fit and worked for me as I navigate the river of life.
For more than 30 years I’ve maintained a daily writing practice. I’m deeply grateful for the recent emergence of AI tools that have helped me organize many of these reflections and writings.
These projects now exist in several forms. The books are available through Amazon Kindle ebook and paperback editions, and I’ve used AI and Speechify to help create audio versions in my own synthesized voice, which are available on YouTube.
If the timing fits and you feel drawn to have a look, I appreciate your attention. If it doesn’t, no worries at all.
My hope is simple: if you happen to find something here that works for you as it has for me, then these projects have been worthwhile.
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