“What is right in front of us we see the least. We take the plants in the room for granted. We pay no attention to the coming of night. We miss the look of invitation on a neighbor’s face. We see only ourselves in action and miss the cocoon around us. As a result, we run the risk of coming out of every situation with no more than we went into it.
Learning to notice the obvious, the colours that touch our psyches, the shapes that vie for our attention, the looks on the faces of those who stand before us blurred by familiarity, blank with anonymity – the context in which we find our distracted selves – is the beginning of contemplation. Awareness of the power of the present is the essence of the contemplative life. ‘Oh wonder of wonders,’ the Sufi master says, ‘I chop wood, I draw water from the well.'”
by Joan Chittister
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2 Comments
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Good advice!
Mary Baker Eddy cautions us “Rushing around smartly is no proof of accomplishing much.”
Stop, enjoy the view and smell the roses! X -
AGREE! Thank you, Dilys, for this simple and yet profound advice from an amazing individual!
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