Sacred presence

Owner

Brian Rumao

February 8, 2026

You pity the moth confusing a lamp for the moon, yet here you are confusing a screen for the world.

Jay Alto

This past week, my daughter came into my room in the morning, excited to tell me about a dream she had (I usually ask her during breakfast about her dreams, but they’re lost to the ether by then). She shared that in her dream she could point at books and with a lifting of her hands, make the books levitate. Her eyes grew bigger as she motioned the books floating higher and higher.

Then she said that I was there too, in that dream — but I missed the act because I was looking at my phone. Naturally, she was disappointed in me. Aside from the fact that her feelings were based on my behavior from her dreams, there was of course some truth to it. I’m on my phone more than I should be (or want to be). Most of the time I’m snapping videos and photos to share with their mom and family members. But some of the time, I admit, I’m responding to non-urgent emails, texts, or scrolling feeds.

So this was a helpful reminder from my Zen master, to be more present. Today with her I did just that, while we enjoyed the hot tub on a beautiful 80-degree February day, and while we cuddled up on the couch watching golf before the Super Bowl, and while we sat outside eating popsicles during storytime. Yes, I missed replying to many text messages. Yes, I have fewer photos to look back on than usual. But yes, it’s a trade I’m willing to make for the sacred presence that comes when we’re together.