Notes to Self (On How to Write)
October 23, 2019 § 9 Comments
By Heidi Barr
Remember to be grateful for what is already good. There will always be things that feel stressful, like they won’t ever work, that keep you up at night. Don’t give your attention, and the energy doing so requires, to things that don’t deserve it, or to things that don’t exist. If you must pay attention to something you would rather not, or that is hard because of life’s circumstances, or that is draining because of all the things that can cause something to take instead of give, reserve some of your energy: pay attention to it if you must, but don’t give all your reserves away. Save at least some of your energy for that which returns it in kind.
Give your attention to that which lights you up with aliveness. To that which leaves you bursting with radiance. To that which adds peace to the tumult that is part of existing on an evolving planet. Find delight. Revel in pleasure. Cherish your body, and give it what it needs. Honor your mind. Nourish it with curiosity and enough rest to be curious for another day. Feel your spirit join with something greater than yourself, and remember the oneness that makes the world pulse with love. Feel all the nuances of joy, even the parts that make you wonder if you’ve gone completely mad. Let the perplexing beauty of a human experience fill your being with luminosity and reverence. Keep going outside, even when it’s cold, or too hot. Notice the way ice cracks in the sun and how a pen feels in your hand as you scribble in a journal. (Especially important after many days of tapping a keyboard.) Notice the burst of red when a cardinal visits the dead tree outside your office window. Allow fresh air to direct your attention to breathing, even when it isn’t comfortable. Slip into fresh bed sheets on a cool summer’s evening. Turn just picked strawberries over in your hand on a warm day, lifting them to your face to inhale their sweetness. Let rushing water caress your bare ankles as you walk upstream.
Practice noticing. Build your capacity for attentiveness, and give voice to the bits of astonishment that gather in the wake of doing so. Be attentive to the way gratitude polishes the rough edges of human experience, and give in to wonder. The world needs you to keep wonder alive. Mary Oliver wrote, “May I stay forever in the stream.” Take her lead. Stay forever in the stream, and let it be a stream of gratitude for what already is. Let that stream return the energy you need to continue on for another day.
Remember to be grateful for what is already good.
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Co-founder of 12 Tiny Things, Heidi Barr lives in Minnesota with her family where they tend a large garden, explore nature and do their best to live simply. Author of four books, she is committed to cultivating ways of being that are life-giving and sustainable for people, communities and the planet. Visit her at heidibarr.com
Instagram: @heidibarrwriter and @12tinythings
Twitter: @embodyabundance
V enlightening and truly worth thinking about. Sometimes we miss out on the small but important things of life in our race for bigger and better things.
A lovely reflection to accompany my morning cup of tea. Thank you for a wise reminder of what’s important. Cheers!
Such a simple message, but so beautifully expressed.
Here’s what I needed to hear this morning: “Save at least some of your energy for that which returns it in kind.” Thank you! Here’s to staying “forever in the stream.”
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On Wed, Oct 23, 2019, 2:05 PM BREVITY’s Nonfiction Blog wrote:
> Guest Blogger posted: “By Heidi Barr Remember to be grateful for what is > already good. There will always be things that feel stressful, like they > won’t ever work, that keep you up at night. Don’t give your attention, and > the energy doing so requires, to things that don’t des” >
Think I’ll add this to Anne Lamott’s Bird by Bird for my college freshmen.
[…] Heidi Barr published the best little craft essay yesterday on Brevity’s Blog. Honestly, you’d be hard pressed to find better writing […]
Agreed–so good to find like minds on Brevity and elsewhere!
Reblogged this on Literacy and Me.