Showing up.

 To show up for life every day is a quiet but profound spiritual discipline. It does not mean grand achievements or constant enthusiasm. It means presence, acceptance, and faithful participation in whatever the day places before us.

1. Showing up begins with acceptance of the day

Each day arrives already shaped by forces beyond our control. To show up is to say inwardly:

“I receive this day as it is, not as I wish it to be.”

The Gita gently reminds us:

सुखदुःखे समे कृत्वा

Holding pleasure and pain as equal… (BG 2.38)

Presence begins where resistance ends.

2. Showing up does not require perfection—only sincerity

Some days we show up joyfully, other days limping, tired, distracted. Life does not ask for our best version every day—only our true self.

Even a lamp flickers before it steadies, yet it still dispels darkness.

3. Small acts are sacred acts

Making the bed, watering a plant, listening patiently, offering a silent prayer—these are not trivial. They are ways of telling life:

“I am here.”

In the Bhagavatam, devotion is often revealed not in miracles, but in daily faithfulness.

4. Showing up is choosing responsibility over escape

When life becomes heavy, the mind seeks distraction, withdrawal, or complaint. Showing up means staying—with the duty, the relationship, the unanswered question.

As Rama teaches through his life: Dharma is not always comfortable, but it is always grounding.

5. Gratitude keeps us returning

When we begin the day with even one thankful thought, we create a thread that pulls us back into life, again and again.

Gratitude is not a response to a perfect life—it is the strength that enables us to live imperfect days fully.

6. God does not ask us to control life—only to meet it

We often think we must fix life. But often, the divine only asks us to be present.

To show up for life is, in truth, to show up before God—right where we are.

Showing up every day is an act of courage disguised as routine.

It is faith wearing ordinary clothes.