How do I know if I'm emotionally available or just going through the motions?

Mirabai spent her life in devotion—real devotion, not performed devotion. The difference? When you're truly available, you feel something. Not constantly, not perfectly, but there's a current of presence running through your choices and connections. Going through the motions feels hollow in hindsight. You notice you're saying the right words but your heart isn't there. You're showing up physically but absent emotionally. The examined heart—Mirabai's whole practice—requires asking: Am I here because I choose to be, or because I should be? Am I listening to what's actually needed, or defending myself? Emotional availability isn't about being endlessly open or never having boundaries. It's about knowing the difference between protecting yourself and hiding. It's about being able to feel grief when loss happens, joy when connection deepens, and uncertainty when you genuinely don't know. Start noticing: In conversations, are you present or planning your next sentence? In relationships, do you know what you actually feel, or are you guessing what you should feel? That gap—between authentic feeling and performed feeling—that's where the real work begins. Mirabai would ask you to examine it closely, without judgment.