how to be aware in an unaware world

Tag: attention

Peering Out
I peer out into the vast Atlantic Ocean as the moon peers back slightly above the horizon.
I pause for a moment, hesitating with a camera in my hand and yearning to stop time and stay a while at the shore, just peering out.
The date is May 8, 2017, around 4:48 PM. I am in Miami, Florida, sitting on a long, sun-worn pier. The stretched, sandy beach is to my left, and an old weathered port is to my right.
My father and were wandering down the beach in search of something to satisfy our minor hunger after soaking in the sun and taking a dip in the bubbling ocean.
We met a local couple at a local seafood restaurant while enjoying some local music in a local community (we felt like locals).
The couple kindly invites us on their deck boat after some time for wine and hors d’oeuvre. We agree enthusiastically to the invitation and watch as the water stills and the sun lowers in the sky.
We sit comfortably on the edge of the stern for some more time, sipping some palatable red wine and softly swaying as the small waves gently rock the boat.
In the distance, my eye catches sight of the moon again as it rises higher in the sky, like a child who is becoming less shy with time.
The owner of the boat asks if we want to go out on the water before the sun sets and the moon rises. We agree, happily, and head out into the waves before dusk, peering out.
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September 8, 2023
Resilience
“Every challenge is a gift. Every adversity is an opportunity.“
– Deepak Chopra

This was a quote I grabbed from a guided meditation video one morning on the Fitbit app. As Chopra spoke the mantra in the meditation, I found myself immediately connecting with the words and repeating them to myself. They also seemed to stick with me throughout the day, emerging different points.

Later that day, some close friends and I went on an island camping trip to Percy Priest Lake in south Nashville.

There’s nothing extraordinary about these small, scattered islands other than the chance to pitch a tent, start a fire, and enjoy good company over the sight and sound of the still lake.

During this particular camp, however, we got caught in a massive thunderstorm that flooded our campsite for hours into the night. It was cold, wet, and invariably uncomfortable the whole night, but it was a gift.

It was the gift of resilience.

Because of this outwardly discomforting and unlucky experience, I have an even greater appreciation now of the comfort, warmth, and dryness that a good shelter provides. And I have an opportunity to connect with that discomfort and understand it on a deeper level.

I believe this is a feeling that needs experiencing over and over.

In life, we always have at least two choices. 99% of the time, those choices are so small that we often overlook them, but they are massively important.

For instance, I had two choices on that tiny, drenched island. To sit there and mope about how much it sucked (which I did for a while) or stand up, punch the water out of the flaps in the tent cover over me and crack a joke about the situation (which I ultimately chose to do).

It’s not about what, when, or how things happen to us, good or bad, right or wrong, it’s about how we choose to respond to them.

Reactions are knee-jerk and haphazard. Responses are a carefully thought-through rarity.

I encourage you to notice what happens when you see challenges and adversity as gifts and opportunities.

Write down the experience. How did it make you feel? What was your response or reaction?
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August 14, 2023
Transformation
“I’d rather dream large and fail than shoot for mediocre and never discover my limits.”
– Diana Nyad

I both love and agree with this quote. It reminds me that we are limited by our own willingness to transform in life.

I say transform because I don’t particularly like the word change. When we change, say a bad habit to a good habit, we can just as easily change right back.

But when we transform, it’s implied there is no going back, it is set in stone.

Transformation: Noun: A marked change, as in appearance or character, usually for the better.

I do understand there are many forces out of our control that can make our path to transformation extremely difficult, but there is still a way. There is always a way through small, deliberate, logical choices every day.

Those who read this blog know how much of an advocate I am of routines. Routines make the world go round. Without them, we would be wandering around aimlessly like zombies, without care and without purpose.

When you look at some of the most influential people in the world, they all dared to dream big even though they encountered many limitations along the way, but eventually, they succeeded in transforming themselves over time.

What matters most is how you see yourself, not how others see you.

Some spend their entire lives realizing the meaning of that notion, while others recognize it early on.

We must equally be kind to ourselves, forgiving the mistakes and failures we make, so that we can move on.

Everyone who has made a name for themselves in this world had to experience disappointment, judgment, and hatred from others, but it was their view of themselves that kept going.

I encourage you today to try and catch yourself when you use the word change, and see what happens when you use transform instead. Write down three things that you can do to transform bad habits into good ones.
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July 21, 2023