“Our attention is pure energy. It transforms whatever it comes into contact with,” writes David Servan Schrieber. “Animals and children know this far better than we do. Over and above food, warmth or money, it’s attention they’re really looking for when they come to us. And they bask in our attention like the sunshine….
“The ultimate proof that our attention is valuable is all the money spent on attracting us by advertisers and TV channels. ‘Look at me!’ they scream. Yet we are never sufficiently conscious of the rich resource we have.”
Lately I’ve been thinking about attention, namely the things that I’m paying attention to and the things that I’m not. In the last few months I’ve had significantly less writing time than usual. Too often when I finally get to sit down in front of my computer, I feel paralyzed. Where to begin? My mind zips through a list of ideas bursting with potential and a bigger list of projects simmering on the back burner.
Sometimes I long for a freelance writing coach to step in and help me navigate the push and pull of this work-at-home life, someone to tell me what to squeak into the diminutive windows of writing time I’m able to eke out at the moment.
Of course, there’s no such person. This is my journey. My path. I must decide which projects deserve my attention. The consequences feel weighty. As Karen Maezen Miller writes, “Whatever you pay attention to thrives; whatever you don’t pay attention to withers and dies.”
If you liked this post, you may enjoy these related posts:
- Resolving to Pay Attention
- Learning to Listen
- Learning to Enjoy the Journey
- A Year of Meditation
- Resolving to Do Nothing
What are you paying attention to right now?
I’ll miss your voice Abby but totally understand the need to re-prioritize your writing time.
Go and good writing to you. Look for you when you return to this blogging world.
Oh! I will miss your blogging March,it is something I look forward to. But now I get to look forward to your novel 🙂 Good luck!
Oh, I’m sad! I always look forward to your valuable writing, links, and observations. But you must do this! Hope you enjoy your other work and can hardly wait until you’re back here.
Thanks for your kind comments and emails. I’ll be back before you know it.
Enjoy your silence and your sabbatical. Decide what is important and pay attention to that. 🙂
Happy blogbirthday and wishing you a productive March 🙂 Blog-breaks are good and I appreciate your thoughts on attention this morning.