Off the Cuff with Jacqueline Ross | May 2026
Greetings, Humans,
As I drove past an elementary school on my way to an assignment, a set of words flashed across the marquee—just enough to catch my attention…along with the squirrel that demanded a last second swerve. Back to the sign. Back to the words: ‘Attendance Matters.’
Hmm.
I remember there used to be an award for that—perfect attendance. A quiet badge of honor for simply being there, day after day. But now, those two words feel less like a childhood benchmark and more like a life question. What actually matters more, perfect attendance or full presence? Is the goal to never miss a day…or to truly arrive in the days we’re given?
It made me pause.
How am I showing up in my own life?
Am I just present or fully here, an active participant in the ever-evolving, miraculous business of being alive? The question has been following me everywhere. When I practice, am I simply logging laps or giving something of myself? On race day, am I digging deep…or coasting on what I already know?
Because effort has a way of telling the truth. And life keeps asking the same thing in different forms: Are you here or are you just passing through?
So yes, I believe attendance matters, but as a choice.
A daily decision to show up fully: mind, body, spirit, into whatever the day holds.
Less to think about…more to act on.
“Be where you are; otherwise you will miss your life.”- Buddha
Present and accounted for—734,
Jacqueline
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