A Gentle Practice for Simply Arriving
On Stillness, Presence & Deep Rest
Before anything else, simply arrive. Not arrive at something — just arrive. Be here, in this moment, in this body, in this place. So much of life is spent elsewhere — planning the future, reviewing the past, mentally somewhere other than where you are. This practice is simply arrival. Being here.
Arrival is harder than it sounds. Our minds are trained to wander, our attention scattered across a thousand concerns. But arrival is always possible. You can always come back to where you are.
This practice invites you to be where you are, nothing more.
Why Arrival Is Difficult
We are rarely where we are. Our bodies may be present, but our minds are elsewhere.
- Planning what comes next
- Replaying what happened before
- Worrying about things not yet occurred
- Mentally rehearsing conversations
- Living in screens rather than space
- Treating the present as transition to somewhere else
If you are rarely fully present, you have company. Modern life trains us away from arrival. But the capacity remains, waiting to be recovered.
The Gift of Here
Here is the only place life happens. The past is memory, the future is imagination — only the present is real. When you arrive in now, you arrive in reality. When you are elsewhere, you miss your own life.
God meets us in the present moment. The eternal now is where divine encounter happens.
A Practice of Arrival
This simple practice invites you to be here.
Lord, I arrive. Not somewhere else — here. Not later — now. I gather my scattered attention and bring it home. I am here. In this body. In this place. In this moment. The past can wait. The future will come. Right now, I am simply here. Help me stay. Help me resist the pull to be elsewhere. Help me arrive and keep arriving. This breath. This sensation. This moment. Here. Now. I arrive.
Now stay here for a moment. When your mind wanders, notice and return. Arrival is not a one-time event but a continuous practice of coming back.
Practicing Arrival
Simple arrival can be practiced throughout your day.
- Pause when entering a room — arrive before acting
- Feel your body when walking — feet on ground
- Notice your breath — anchor to now
- When mind wanders, gently return to here
- Use transitions as arrival points
- Let "I am here" become a silent mantra
Arrival becomes more natural with practice. The scattered attention learns to gather. The wandering mind learns to come home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does arrival matter?
When you are not present, you miss your life. Joy, connection, and divine encounter all happen in the present moment. Arrival is not a spiritual luxury — it is the practice of actually being alive rather than living perpetually elsewhere.
What if my mind keeps wandering?
Wandering is normal — minds wander. The practice is not preventing wandering but noticing it and returning. Each return is a successful arrival. Over time, the returns become more frequent and the wandering less consuming.
Is this mindfulness?
This practice shares elements with mindfulness — present-moment awareness. But the Christian context adds relationship. You are not just arriving in the moment — you are arriving where God is. The practice is relational, not just attentional.
How long should I practice arriving?
Even brief moments count — a single breath of arrival is valuable. Formal practice might be five or ten minutes. But the real practice is throughout the day — continuously arriving in each new moment as it comes.
Related Reflections
- On Returning to Yourself — Coming home within.
- A Dreamweaving for Simply Being Still — Pure stillness.
- A Dreamweaving for Resting in God's Nearness — Present with God.
- Browse All Reflections — Find more quiet spaces for the searching soul.