Pay
Attention
“Ten
times a day something happens to me like this—some strengthening
throb of amazement—some good sweet empathic ping and swell. This is the
first, the wildest and the wisest thing I know: that the soul exists
and is built entirely out of attentiveness.”
Mary
Oliver
Some folks idolize great
athletes, glitzy pop stars, or famous actors—I idolize Mary Oliver.
I honestly think I could sit at her feet everyday for the rest of my
life and be contented. I wonder whether she ever says anything
trivial, or harsh, or banal. If so, it never shows up in her writing.
The way she lives, and the way that she writes are one thing—she
does not differentiate between work and play—she just lives
absorbed. She writes: “To pay attention, this is our endless and
proper work.” Her advice to the rest of us is: “Love
yourself. Then forget it. Then love the world.” In three short
sentences, nine words, she sums up the life cycle of adult humans.
First we love ourselves, are completely caught up in the glories of
youthful bodies and minds. Then we forget all that as we grind out
those middle years of work, child-rearing, relationship building and
too often, relationship ending. Parents fall ill and eventually die.
We cling to our life preserves and just hope for survival. And then,
we fall in love all over again, this time with the world, and with
its people and its creatures. It's amazing how beautiful the world
looks in these later years, how precious.
I had an encounter a few
nights ago. It was bedtime, and I was headed that way when I heard
noise outside. I thought it might be thunder or fireworks, so I
walked out on my porch and looked west, checking for lightening.
Suddenly, from the street out front, an owl flew up and lit on the
light pole. He was at least two feet tall, and magnificent! He sat
there for several minutes, while I held my breath, and then he flew
away. I have been listening to that owl calling to his mate for
years, but I have never before caught even a glimpse of him. It was a
holy moment.
Mary Oliver wrote: “I
don't want to end up simply having visited this world.” If you
feel that way too, pay attention. Soak it up. Let yourself experience
the beauty of it. This is your “one wild and precious life.”
Don't spend it being distracted by your cell phone. The world
won't be the same tomorrow, and neither will you. Seize the day!
In the Spirit,
Jane
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