Below is an edited, improved, and structured transcript of the video for those who prefer reading.
Written Version
A Quieter Video This Week
I’m recording this quietly from bed this week because I’m sick.
And yet, I still wanted to honor my commitment to posting at least one video per week. It’s only been about seven weeks since I started this channel, but showing up consistently already feels important to me.
So today will be a quieter video.
Resting and Returning to Presence
While resting, I’ve been listening again to the teachings of one of my favorite teachers, Eckhart Tolle. Listening to him while not feeling physically well has helped me remain present, even though the body and mind don’t feel great right now.
That led me to a realization — not for the first time, but one that feels clearer again when you’re sick.
When the body feels bad, a few things naturally happen:
- Discomfort appears
- Thoughts begin to complain
- Resistance arises — a strong desire for things to be different from how they are
But something notices all of this.
The Awareness That Notices
There is an awareness that notices the discomfort.
An awareness that notices the thoughts.
An awareness that notices the resistance itself.
And that noticing is untouched.
It isn’t sick.
It doesn’t feel bad.
It simply observes.
That noticing — that awareness — is what I mean when I speak about presence.
The Body Can Be Sick — Awareness Is Not
I’m not saying that illness isn’t real. Clearly the body can be sick. The body can feel uncomfortable. The mind can feel foggy or tired.
What I’m pointing to is this:
A part of me feels sick — but something deeper simply notices that experience.
And that deeper part remains unchanged.
I’m also aware that some people experience serious or even terminal illness, and I don’t want to minimize the difficulty or reality of that. But many spiritual traditions point toward the same insight:
Even in the most difficult circumstances, there is a dimension of awareness within us that remains untouched by what happens to the body.
The body can be unwell.
Presence — awareness itself — is not.
When Life Slows Us Down
Interestingly, moments of illness sometimes make this easier to notice.
Life slows down.
The usual distractions fall away.
Productivity stops.
Control disappears.
And suddenly, there is only this moment — exactly as it is.
Maybe presence is not something we achieve when everything feels good.
Maybe presence becomes most visible when we stop fighting what is happening.
A Quiet Kind of Gratitude
Perhaps there can even be a quiet gratitude for moments we would normally never choose — even something like a stomach bug — because they remind us of what does not come and go.
They remind us of the awareness that is always here.
Closing
Anyway, that’s my quiet reflection for this week.
Wherever you are, I hope you’re able to find a little bit of stillness today.
I’ll see you in the next video.