We've just returned from a roadtrip to North Carolina + I'm trying to keep that vacation lightness going. We're happy to sleep on our own pillows + to spend less time in the car...but it's also back to work + all the rest.
This morning I have a quote I heard on a podcast on my mind:
This morning I have a quote I heard on a podcast on my mind:
The faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention,
over + over again,
is the very root of judgement, character + will.
~William James
over + over again,
is the very root of judgement, character + will.
~William James
-After reciting this quote, Jer Clifton says it is offered as an invitation! I love that interpretation! He calls this practice "educating the attention".
The necessity of this practice is something many of us have discovered for ourselves. I've been thinking so much lately about how my perspective informs my outlook, feelings + experience. It really is everything. I find it so difficult to lasso + keep my perspective corralled from day to day or even moment to moment. Hearing others validate the need for this practice + also point towards its rewards makes me feel both understood + motivated.
I thought it might be helpful to make a list of what I want to bring my attention back to...and ways that I jumpstart connection to my chosen values + perspective. Maybe you'd like to play along. :)
Here's what I jotted down today:
-My thoughts on simple living...or...
-My simple thoughts on living...or...
-Where to bring my wandering thoughts back to...
-Also,
I like keeping this list very simple. I don't want to complicate my focus + direction. Each of these words might spark different thoughts in different situations + on different days.
The necessity of this practice is something many of us have discovered for ourselves. I've been thinking so much lately about how my perspective informs my outlook, feelings + experience. It really is everything. I find it so difficult to lasso + keep my perspective corralled from day to day or even moment to moment. Hearing others validate the need for this practice + also point towards its rewards makes me feel both understood + motivated.
I thought it might be helpful to make a list of what I want to bring my attention back to...and ways that I jumpstart connection to my chosen values + perspective. Maybe you'd like to play along. :)
Here's what I jotted down today:
-My thoughts on simple living...or...
-My simple thoughts on living...or...
-Where to bring my wandering thoughts back to...
- Love.
-Also,
- beauty
- wonder
- imagination
- kindness
- creativity
- enough
- nature
- curiosity
- less
- experiment
- grow
- movement
- fruits + vegetables
- play
I like keeping this list very simple. I don't want to complicate my focus + direction. Each of these words might spark different thoughts in different situations + on different days.
-Connection points:
This second list is certainly just the beginning. I want to add to it over time + to keep it somewhere handy + prominent. Bringing my wandering attention back over + over is a practice, and I want it to be as simple as possible to educate my attention.
Love,
Jane
- walk in the woods...look up...look down...breathe deeply...
- look up at tall trees, clouds, sunsets, stars...
- eat a piece of fruit + be present to it all...marvel at it...smell...look...listen...taste...
- make something...visualize...plan...see what happens...feel the sensation of cutting...work...engage...play...
- ride a bike...feel the wind...push forward...coast...look...
- eat outside
- celebrate solstice
- touch soil + plants
- walk barefoot
- walk, walk, walk...short...long...wander...explore...
This second list is certainly just the beginning. I want to add to it over time + to keep it somewhere handy + prominent. Bringing my wandering attention back over + over is a practice, and I want it to be as simple as possible to educate my attention.
Love,
Jane
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