Give Close Attention
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“The moment one gives close attention to any thing, even a blade of grass it becomes a mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”
Henry Miller
The big girls scale rocks. Daddy spots them. I sit on a waterproof blanket with my baby. The sun is coy, but bright. I get an idea. A simple one.
I pick her up. And she clings to me. Oh, how I love how she clings to me. I walk a few feet away from the striped square. I put her down.
I put her down in the grass. And I step away. I step back. I watch.
She looks around. And up. At a big blue sky mottled with wispy clouds. And she reaches out.
She buries her little hands in grass. She closes her fists and yanks. She comes away with a few broken blades.
I watch. I watch her discover something new. I watch her commune with a tiny patch of nature. I watch and I glimpse joy.
And I also feel it. Joy. It’s more than that, what I feel. Far more.
She gives close attention to the grass around her. And as she does this, I give close attention to her, this little being that sprouts before me every day, this brilliant blade of grass in my family’s pasture, this mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.
And I realize something. This is perhaps the most important thing we can do in our lives. In our lives as people, as professionals, as parents. The most important thing we can do is give close attention.
To ourselves. To our creatures. To our world.
And so. I will continue to do just this.
I could not believe this more fully. I think that’s all we have, really, at the end of the day: our attention. Where we pour it flourishes. Thank you for reminding me to be mindful of where I spend that rare quantity. xox
“…this little being that sprouts before me every day, this brilliant blade of grass in my family’s pasture, this mysterious, awesome, indescribably magnificent world in itself.”
I. LOVE. THIS. Gorgeous. M is 6 months today (how did that happen?) and I have to keep reminding myself to pay close attention. It just goes so fast…
This is one of my favorites of your blog posts so far. You are so right. Being present to life is the biggest gift we can give ourselves and others. Love to you and your precious family.
Love this. Words, photos, ideas. (And the fact that I have a fuzzy-headed baby asleep in her crib to remind me of the importance of paying this kind of attention.)
Happy weekend!
xo
Excellent! Thank you for reminding us that on many occasions we forget to stop and just look. How many things do we miss in a moment because we are to busy, to occupied.
I always hope that I am exploring this world – be it physical or introspective.
One funny comment – my first born was terrified of the grass. I didn’t need a pack-n-play – just a blanket on a piece of grass and he would not venture off. So funny!
Give close attention. You are so right it is one of the most important things we can do and one of the greatest losses in a hurried life. When our lives get squeezed in around the edges of full time jobs it’s easy to forget to slow down and pay close attention while we are scrambling to keep up, and then in a blur the most important things have gone by. So glad you are reveling in this beautiful baby.