story Jennifer Tonin
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Today I heard a song that stayed with me long after it ended

The lyrics said:

“I’m not what happened to me.

I’m what I choose to be.

Each step I take, I shift, I rise.

The past dissolves before my eyes.”

The Power of Presence in a Distracted World

It made me pause and reflect on presence, something we talk about often but rarely practise.

Since my stroke, presence has taken on a completely different meaning. When I’m with someone now, I’m fully with them. I listen deeply. I pay attention. I’m present in a way I wasn’t before.

But that level of presence can also be exhausting, especially when it isn’t reciprocated. It has made me realise how lonely the world can feel, even in a crowd.

Milan

Recently, my friend Sarah (we all have a Sarah, the friend you instinctively say “yes” to) took me to a mass at “Chiesa di Santa Maria della Sanità” in Milan. The service was in honour of Saint Charbel, a Maronite monk known for his humility, spirituality, and the healing associated with his life.

The mass was celebrated in Italian and Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus. The church was full of people searching for healing, not only from illness, but from grief, envy, fear, and the kinds of wounds that don’t show on the surface.

While these struggles were invisible to most, I could sense the intensity in the room, the heaviness, the need, the unspoken pain.

Guatemala

Years ago in Guatemala, I learned a grounding technique called Go to Glow. I used it that day, not to disconnect, but to remain present without being overwhelmed.

Moments like these make me reflect on the two “worlds” we seem to be living in:

  • One world is consumed by phones, materialism, comparison, ego, and the need to perform, even spiritually, for likes, validation, or status.
  • The other world is quieter, more grounded. It pays attention. It notices how people are really doing. It values gratitude, connection, and authenticity over appearance.
The Power of Presence in a Distracted World

“Since my stroke, I find myself living more in the second world, not detached from reality, but more awake to it. More aware of how precious presence is, and how urgently we need it.”

Maybe this sensitivity is challenging at times. Maybe it makes me see and feel more than others do. But I’m starting to believe it’s also a gift.

Read also this story by Jennifer, who is a member of the board for the Accessible Travel Foundation. You can follow her on Instagram.

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