Dear Reader,
I have always loved the poetry of Mary Oliver. She passed away last year, but her work is still with us and therefore, so is she. I found this from her, in my reading this morning:
Attention is the beginning of devotion.
From her book “Upstream,” the line closes an essay in which she writes about exploring the natural beauty of a stream as a child. Each simple discovery opens her heart and deepens her love for the world.
What I have always loved about Mary Oliver is how she sees not just with her eyes, but with her whole being. That first act of paying attention to the world leads her into her heart, her soul, and beyond. When I read her work, her writing does the same for me.
Isn’t that amazing?
Every inner journey starts with paying attention. Every human creation in this world started with paying attention.
When you pay attention, you may become curious. When you become curious, your attention deepens. As your attention deepens, you may fall in love.
What do you pay attention to? Nature, like Mary Oliver? Color? The way your body feels in motion? The way a machine runs, or the way that stars are created?
What you pay attention to holds a clue for you, into the nature of your soul.
Why is this important?
If, for example, you are trying to figure out the direction of your life, you may feel a lot of pressure to find your passion. You must discover your life purpose, perhaps in a blinding flash of light! That pressure can bring your process to a grinding, frustrating halt.
Suppose, instead, you just start by paying attention.
What do you love in your life? What are you curious about? And how do you feel inside about it all?
Indulge that impulse. Let the process unfold gently. See where it takes you.
To be clear: there is a lot you could pay attention to in this information saturated world. It may be easy, especially if you are a curious person, for your attention to split in several directions. That can be ok, for a short period of time. But at some point, you must rein it in and redirect your attention to that which intrigues you the most.
Pay attention to what pulls at your heart. Then follow the clues.
Attention is the beginning of devotion.
A final, important note: ask yourself whether you are allowing enough time in your life to deeply pay attention. It is easy to scroll on your phone, skim articles, photographs and videos. You might go for a fifteen minute power walk, for the exercise. But do you really pay attention with your whole being? Do you allow your deeper feelings to register and respond?
Those feelings, and the meaning you make from your experience, are a crucial part of the journey. They lead to careers, works of art, relationships and inner peace.
They guide you all the way through, from attention to devotion.
I honor your loving heart,
John
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