Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

I was sitting in my garden recently and from out of nowhere, a ladybug landed on my hand. I watched the tiny red and black creature make its way up my forearm. A few seconds later, I heard the distinctive sound of a hummingbird as it rapidly flapped its way toward the feeder that I had filled with nectar that morning.

I savored these two sweet moments. I thought back over the years, decades when I would not have paid the slightest attention to such wonders. Instead, I probably would have brushed the ladybug away or never noticed the hummingbird.

Back then, jobs, commuting, bills and other obligations held my attention. It was rush, rush here. A meeting there. An hour commute home. Watch a couple hours of completely forgettable television. Go to sleep. And start the whole process over again the next day. Ladybugs? Hummingbirds? I wouldnt have given either one a second thought.

A friend told me recently the way she pays attention and stays in the moment is by creating paper collages. Just the repetitive action of selecting a picture, carefully cutting it out and finding the right spot for it, makes me mindful.

A gardening buddy of mine enjoys the process of weeding. She describes it as her own private ritual. I was out in the garden the other day and found my corn and sunflowers overgrown with weeds. I got down on my knees and before I knew it, an hour had passed. It was amazing. Not only did I have a weed-free garden, I found that being that close to the ground allowed me to see and appreciate all kinds of tiny things – a trail of ants, an empty snail shell. It forced me to be in the moment.

While gardens and crafting are a great place to pay attention, they arent the only places.

On an overnight camping trip with my husband a few years back, we were in a remote area without a city light in sight. I remember looking up and seeing an awesome light show put on by the stars. I almost forgot about those, I said as I pointed to the stars. My husband laughed and said, They were always there. You were the one who stopped paying attention.

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