Thoughts and Prayers....Eat Shit

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 Showing Up vs. “Thoughts and Prayers”: The Difference Between Noise and Presence

There’s a phrase that gets tossed around like confetti at a parade nobody asked for:

“Thoughts and prayers.”

It sounds nice. It looks good in a comment section. It lets people feel like they’ve participated in something meaningful without ever leaving their chair. It’s the emotional equivalent of tapping “like” and calling it support.

And here’s the truth most people don’t say out loud:

It’s not support.

It’s sentiment.

And sentiment doesn’t carry weight.

Showing up is not a feeling. It’s an action.

It’s inconvenient. It’s messy. It costs something.

Showing up is:

  • answering the phone when it rings at the wrong time

  • sending money when it would be easier not to

  • sitting in a waiting room when you’d rather be anywhere else

  • buying from someone when you know you could get it cheaper somewhere else

  • saying, “I’ve got you,” and then proving it

Showing up requires presence. Not just emotionally—but physically, financially, energetically.

It demands skin in the game.

“Thoughts and prayers” ask nothing of you.

No time.
No money.
No discomfort.

It’s a way to acknowledge pain without engaging with it.

And listen—there’s nothing wrong with caring. There’s nothing wrong with holding someone in your mind, in your heart, in your spiritual practice.

But don’t confuse that with showing up.

They are not the same thing.

One is internal.

The other leaves footprints.

We’ve built a culture that confuses visibility with support.

People will:

  • comment “so proud of you” and never make a purchase

  • say “let me know if you need anything” and disappear when you do

  • repost your work but never invest in it

  • watch you struggle and call their silence “respect”

And then wonder why things fall apart.

Support isn’t what you say.
Support is what you do.

Showing up is specific.

It doesn’t hide behind vague offers or empty language.

It looks like:

  • “I can bring dinner on Thursday.”

  • “Here’s $50. It’s not much, but it’s yours.”

  • “I bought your product. It matters to me.”

  • “I’m here. Tell me what needs to happen next.”

No poetry. No performance. Just action.

Here’s the uncomfortable part:

Most people think they’re supportive.

Very few actually are.

Because showing up requires you to interrupt your own life for someone else’s moment.

And most people aren’t willing to do that unless it benefits them.

So what does this mean for you?

It means you start paying attention.

Not to what people say—but to what they do.

Who shows up when it’s inconvenient?
Who invests when it costs them something?
Who follows through without being chased?

That’s your circle.

That’s your real support system.

And maybe the hardest truth of all:

Sometimes the people you expected to show up won’t.

Sometimes the loudest cheerleaders go quiet when it’s time to act.

Sometimes strangers will do more for you than the people who claim they love you.

And that will change how you move.

Because once you see the difference, you can’t unsee it.

You stop chasing validation.
You stop performing for empty applause.
You stop pouring into spaces that never pour back.

And you start building your life around the people who actually show up.

“Thoughts and prayers” are easy.

Showing up is rare.

And rare is where the real ones live.

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