The Quiet Power of Presence


At times, pushback is just the world testing your ability to prove you belong

Read our Acclaimed Op-Ed -’Truths Ring True From Machu Picchu to Wimbledon’

Machu Picchu (look at the expression of the tourists!)

Everybody Wants to ‘Belong’

Sometimes it’s forced: loud, messy, and dramatic.

Sometimes it’s earned: silent, poised, and graceful.

And that’s what Tiny One showed us on her Aventura to Machu Picchu

A High Stakes, Inspirational True Story

When we entered Machu Picchu, regulations didn’t cross my mind. Maybe it was bi-polar grandiosity. Or maybe Twinkles’ spotless record of navigatng countless places where the rules didn’t quite apply to her.

I trusted her, and she trusted me.

Upon entry, we stood on the vista overlooking The Citadel. I had never seen her so still. It was almost as if she sensed the aura, magnificience, grandeur.

She gazed as if to say, “This place is different.”

The Test of Belonging: A Ranger’s Gaze

If you’re pushing the edges, never get too comfortable.

About halfway through the day, we shared a sandwich on a shaded bench. That’s when Twinkles gave a subtle “hff”—not even a bark, just a breathy alert.

I examined the landscape, sure enough, a ranger stood a hundred feet away, scanning. Most certainly spotted us. In that suspended moment, I thought: Here it comes. We’re out.

But Twinkles didn’t flinch, didn’t bark, didn’t draw a line between us and authority. She stayed composed, grounded, present.

The ranger paused, watching. You could almost see the calculation: rules versus reality.

This dog wasn’t a threat. She wasn’t chaos. She was part of the landscape, a guest who knew how to behave.

And then he turned, and walked away.

Maybe because we were sharing laughs with fellow Colombianos, jajaja

Presence Over Policy

That moment wasn’t some kind of vindication, ‘getting away with something.’ Rather It was about Twinkles showing how presence can reshape perception.

Most dogs would have barked, lunged, or squirmed in ways that confirmed every reason for a rule. Twinkles embodied the opposite. She wasn’t “breaking” the rules. She was fulfilling their spirit: respect, harmony, stillness.

Her confidence wasn’t brash—it was classy compliance, the kind that says: I belong, because I can behave..

Permission Granted

The ranger at Machu Picchu could have defaulted to the rulebook. Many would have. But he chose to read the moment instead, to see beyond appearances.

The entire experience taught me to …

  • Grant your own permission.

  • Look past surface impressions.

  • Slow down before judging.

  • Recognize that presence often speaks louder than packaging or priveldge.

The Hiram Bingham (Peruvian Orient Express)

and that’s how you get rewarded!

Now contrast this to another chihuahua