The quote in this morning’s SOMEDAY journal is from poet David J. Whyte, “Gratitude is not a passive response to something we have been given…and it is not necessarily something that is shown after the event; it is a deep, a-priori state of attention that shows we understand and are equal to the gifted nature of life.”
Do his words flow through you and to you like a gentle wave of emotion?
Do they fill you with a heartfelt understanding that paying attention to who and what matters is gratitude in action?
I’ll always be thankful for having the privilege of experiencing David’s poetic word artistry in person.
Bristol Baughan and I were part of his two-day workshop in Southern California several years ago.
We immersed ourselves in his imaginative, spell-bonding (intentional) storytelling.
He re-awakened us to the wonders around us.
If there’s anything I’ve learned in 20+ years of researching, writing and speaking about the topic of attention, it’s that:
“Attention is a two-way street.”
To get it, we need to give it… first.
Paying attention to what other people care about is the key to connection.
Paying attention to what’s happening around us and in us – fully and appreciatively – is our passport to presence.
ACTION
Do you want to be Now and Zen?
If so, set aside distractions for five minutes.
Give your eyes, ears, mind, soul & heart to someone and/or something that matters to you.
Truly see them as if for the first or last time.
In that moment, you will, as David suggested, be “equal to the gifted nature of life.”