Spiritual ABC's -- The Letter A

In November, 2005, I shared a piece taken from one of my favorite books, Spiritual Literacy -- Reading the Spiritual in Everyday Life, by Frederick and Mary Ann Brussat.  In that post, I offered their list of "spiritual ABC's" with no comment at all.  Now, however, I find myself walking a renewed spiritual path of my own, and so I am inclined to work my way through those ABC's one letter at a time.  I don't know, yet, if I'll find much to say about all of these, but I am content to let the words come as they may.  I understand this may not be "it" for everyone, so feel free to go find something more interesting and exciting.  My feelings won't be hurt much...

A

Attention

Pay attention.  Stay awake and totally alert.  See with receptive eyes and see a world of ceaseless wonders.

I have a greater respect for the act and choice of paying attention these days.  Being awake and alert is necessary for a fully lived life.  It is, of course, possible to just bumble along, stumbling through the days, seeing nothing of what is.  I fell into that pattern, I think.  I was wrapped up in staying alive, staying in place, holding on to what I imagined to be important and "real."  I forgot to just look, just see, just perceive.  And perhaps that isn't really even the truth.  More accurately, I suppose I refused to look.  I put metaphorical hands over the eyes of my mind and my heart and refused to look, see, or perceive.  I missed seeing the hard things, but I also missed seeing the good things, the beautiful things, the amazing and wondrous things.  I chose voluntary blindness, rather than allow myself to see the truth.  That choice was wrong.  It was a mistake.  I cannot afford to miss a single bit of the wonder that is out there to see.  Even when some of what I see is confusing, frightening, or ugly -- I will choose to pay attention and stay awake.

swan