You
become what you pay attention to.
This
particular thought has been rolling around in my brain and my heart since last
weekend.
It
was Sunday afternoon, and I was resting these knees that have been arguing with
me for months and months now. Apparently cartilage is kind of important, and
arthritis and too many years of torturing them with gymnastics have completely
removed all that golden cartilage from both of my knees. There is NONE left. And while the doctor may
or may not have told me to refrain from ANY and all hiking or walking, I have
made the incredible mistake of ignoring him.
Or, as I like to call it, I simply didn’t remember a word he said.
Well,
I won’t make that crazy mistake again. (Oh, who am I kidding?)
So
that particular Sunday I was laying in a comfortable, cozy pool of down
(comforter) on my bed, channel-surfing as I waited for the 5 billion mg’s of
Aleve to kick in. I stopped for a moment
on the Oprah Network intrigued by the sight of Sue Monk Kidd on her Super Soul
Sunday special. Not only do I adore her
writing (The Mermaid’s Chair? The Secret
Life of Bees for God’s sake???), but I am fascinated by any author’s story as I
strive to push the publish button on my own.
She
spoke so eloquently about her journey, and about the discoveries she’s made
along the way. I was transfixed,
hypnotized by the beauty of her words and the power of her thoughts. I felt an
affinity for her, a sort of sister-like adoration as she outlined the path she
has walked.
“You
become what you pay attention to,” she said. “What we give the attention of our
heart to, matters deeply. So when we give the attention of our heart to, to
ourselves, to our worries, to our fears, we become that.
“We
become…what we pay attention to.”
Wow.
I
realized that I have been paying way too much attention to the obstacles that
have been thrown in my path, and not as much attention to the gifts and
treasures that are right on my doorstep.
I have listened to the fears that creep into my heart late at night,
instead of the songs of love and joy that are sung to me every day by my friends
and family.
And
so today, and each day since then, I have been thinking and thinking about who
and what I am giving the attention of my heart to. Who and what are worthy of the attention of
my heart? It’s so very, very important
to decide.
I
am giving the attention to my children.
I am giving the attention to my dear friends. I am giving the attention to the children in
my classroom.
And
above all else, and most importantly, I am giving it to myself. I am paying attention to my own heart, to my
own soul, and to my own healing.
And
today I say to all of you, dear readers, please listen to the song in your own
heart. Please, go pay attention to
someone or something that so richly deserves that particular gift.
And
be damn sure to include yourself.
