Well written. I totally agree. January also hit me and my practices harder than I expected. My phone time last week was pretty embarrassing. Getting back on track with my intentions and aligned action this month. Regarding the pause between the 1st and 3rd urge I'll be thinking, "I'm willing to feel this urge/discomfort/boredom/etc in order to take flight instead".
Thanks for this, Abby! Very fitting to encounter this after reading Heschel's Sabbath this morning. A few ways I seek/praise the pause:
- Read and write poetry. I find poetry to be the opposite of our fast-paced, attention-extracting economy. In my experience, a poem only gives what you give back to it and most of the meaning is made in the pause.
- Nature. Nothing original here, but walking in the PNW woods or, more recently, swimming in Puget Sound.
- Preparing for rest. I'm moved this morning by the way that Heschel illustrates "preparing for rest" where rest is not a recharge for the other days of the week but, instead, is what living is for. I think this framing is happening at the right time for me to actually lean into it in the months ahead.
Thank you Abby -- beautifully presented. I just reread Frankl's "Search For Meaning" and recommend it. Regarding attention, I am not doing a great job at of this but I do find being in nature is helpful, especially if I either, don't bring my phone, go somewhere without a cell signal or decide up front that I am not going to check anything or take any photos. And I put the phone somewhere not easily accessible -- I have also (don't know how I did this but it's working) stopped responding to non-urgent texts right away. Very few texts are ever urgent. Now, I sit down, a few hours later, and answer all texts at once more thoughtfully. AND, I don't engage when people start going back and forth in group texts after I have responded.
So happy to see you here, Amy! And I love the non-urgent text insight. I feel like my nervous system has been rewired to believe every ping needs my immediate attention and yet....that couldn't be farther from the truth. Also appreciate the recc to read Frankl's whole book which I'm embarrassed to say I've yet to do! Putting it in the queue now ; )
I don't know about a "masterplan", but for almost a decade I've been thinking of the collective movement around this as "attention activism". I define it in terms of mindfulness: to become aware of the forces pulling at your attention and use that knowledge to make more intentional and authentic choices of where you direct it.
Attention Activism is exactly what we need. And it begins in our own ability to notice the forces we're up against....Grateful for this thoughtful comment, Jay. So glad you're here!
A beautiful read and a reminder. Thank you!
Well written. I totally agree. January also hit me and my practices harder than I expected. My phone time last week was pretty embarrassing. Getting back on track with my intentions and aligned action this month. Regarding the pause between the 1st and 3rd urge I'll be thinking, "I'm willing to feel this urge/discomfort/boredom/etc in order to take flight instead".
YES! "I am willing to feel this urge in order to take flight" -- what a beautiful re/frame, Sonya. So glad you're here with us ; )
Thanks for this, Abby! Very fitting to encounter this after reading Heschel's Sabbath this morning. A few ways I seek/praise the pause:
- Read and write poetry. I find poetry to be the opposite of our fast-paced, attention-extracting economy. In my experience, a poem only gives what you give back to it and most of the meaning is made in the pause.
- Nature. Nothing original here, but walking in the PNW woods or, more recently, swimming in Puget Sound.
- Preparing for rest. I'm moved this morning by the way that Heschel illustrates "preparing for rest" where rest is not a recharge for the other days of the week but, instead, is what living is for. I think this framing is happening at the right time for me to actually lean into it in the months ahead.
Ironically, Ezra's conversation with Chris Hayes also made its way into my recent substack poem reflections: https://intowind.substack.com/p/flotsam-and-jetsam
Grateful for this share.
man did i need to read this today.
Well, I needed to write it, too ; ) So happy it landed. Miss you, friend!
I love this - thank you!
So glad this resonates, Brooke! Can't wait to see your new show ; )
Thank you Abby -- beautifully presented. I just reread Frankl's "Search For Meaning" and recommend it. Regarding attention, I am not doing a great job at of this but I do find being in nature is helpful, especially if I either, don't bring my phone, go somewhere without a cell signal or decide up front that I am not going to check anything or take any photos. And I put the phone somewhere not easily accessible -- I have also (don't know how I did this but it's working) stopped responding to non-urgent texts right away. Very few texts are ever urgent. Now, I sit down, a few hours later, and answer all texts at once more thoughtfully. AND, I don't engage when people start going back and forth in group texts after I have responded.
So happy to see you here, Amy! And I love the non-urgent text insight. I feel like my nervous system has been rewired to believe every ping needs my immediate attention and yet....that couldn't be farther from the truth. Also appreciate the recc to read Frankl's whole book which I'm embarrassed to say I've yet to do! Putting it in the queue now ; )
I don't know about a "masterplan", but for almost a decade I've been thinking of the collective movement around this as "attention activism". I define it in terms of mindfulness: to become aware of the forces pulling at your attention and use that knowledge to make more intentional and authentic choices of where you direct it.
Attention Activism is exactly what we need. And it begins in our own ability to notice the forces we're up against....Grateful for this thoughtful comment, Jay. So glad you're here!