Paying Attention

My love, wow, we are surrounded by such magic. Plants growing, birds soaring in the air, people loving you and each other. Pain in life is inevitable, yes, but so is magic, wonder, and flow. Sometimes our eyes are open but our awareness is closed. What I mean, dear one, is sometimes we only open our eyes enough to see our surroundings to “get through” the day. We open our eyes just enough at our job to complete the tasks, or we open our eyes just enough with our partners to coordinate schedules, make meals, and run through chores, or we open our eyes just enough with our children to make sure we are checking the parenthood boxes - getting them to school, making their food, washing their clothes.

This is all good, my love. We need to open our eyes enough to meet our needs and the needs of the environment. This is the job of our ego, to contend with the material world in front of us to keep us alive. But what lies beyond the material world is what makes life so divine, so meaningful, so magical. When we open our eyes with awareness, not just to see the tangible, but to see beyond, we start to pay attention to divine beauty and unfolding of the world around us. When we really pay attention, our black and white worlds transform into vibrant swirls and splashes of color and sparkle. When we pay attention, we can see more clearly what the world is trying to tell us.

Let’s take a moment to practice paying attention. Start to notice your breath. You do not need to change your breathing; focus on sinking deeper into your body with each exhale. Use your breath to distance you from your thoughts and move into the role as the observer. Observe your thoughts and body sensations with curiosity. Notice your thoughts and body sensations with nonjudgement, curiosity, and even fascination, as if this was the first time you experienced these thoughts and feelings. Just pay attention. That is your only job - with curiosity, nonjudgement, and maybe even wonder. Now, move your attention to the external world. Use your senses to observe your surroundings, acting as if this was the first time you saw these colors, heard these noises, felt these textures, smelt these smells. Just pay attention. What is catching your eye? What is drawing you in? What is lighting you up?

My love, if you are struggling, if you feel stuck, if you do not know your next move, if you feel lost, even if things just feel fine… you do not panic, you do not need to scramble, or muscle your way through. You just need to pay attention and listen. Open your eyes to see beyond only the tangible, to see with awareness your place, your next move in the order of the world. You belong, you have a path, and the world will move you in direction of where you must go next. You are not lost; you are right on track. Just pay attention and you will see.