Substance of attention

Substance of attention

mindfulness, self-awareness
Attention: social media is where it’s at. It’s not a good or bad thing, and it’s not the source of attention either. The source of attention, that’s a worthy curiosity, from which everything else takes root. The way is not to focus on outward appearances but dive directly into the inner substance of here and now. Choice is the fiber of attention. You can either look at someone and judge them based on their political correctness and how many followers they have on Instagram; or you can suspend judgment, look at someone human-to-human, and instantly get a sense of their story, strengths, and superpowers. The latter tends to be more interesting. You can wrinkle your forehead and thumb into a screen or you can relish at how the sun falls on your shoulders as heat…
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Presence and politics: an inside job

Presence and politics: an inside job

mindfulness, self-awareness
Voting doesn’t necessarily mean being in touch with reality. And not voting doesn’t mean not caring. No matter who wins the election this year, there is work to be done. No politician is going to save you from your worries or make you a better person. Transformation is an inside job. It’s the molding of a mission and the best bet is with inner clarity. It's not the absence of chaos or conflict but a simple alignment between words and actions. [perfectpullquote align="left" cite="" link="" color="" class="" size=""]The question is do you trust yourself enough to let go?[/perfectpullquote] It’s not about shaping clever debate tactics or sniffing for a better ignorance package. Ignorance is not bliss. Innocence is. Innocence to simply be at play between gut and reason. And you don’t have…
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Puppy is present

Puppy is present

self-awareness
My friend drops off his puppy, a beautiful black Labrador mix. I take her for a walk and while she hurries in an escapade of smells in the grass, I begin to open up to her. I told her that I feel dull and weary today and that I’m no stranger to this, a kind of rhythm that I’ve grown to know. The vulnerability is all over my body and speech and my care to belong is bare. She then pulls on the leash and yanks my arm, giving me the felt sense that the universe is a field of many forces, a bunch of pushes and pulls, with varying degrees within each, and the multiplicity of such events going on simultaneously. While the ego wants to control it all into a certain fashion, the…
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