“Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”
― Mary Oliver

Discovery

"Something we were withholding made us weak until we found it was ourselves."  Robert Frost

Change

"We cannot change the world by a new plan, project or idea.  We cannot even change other people by our convictions, stories, advice or proposals but we can offer a space where people are encouraged to disarm themselves, lay aside their occupations and preoccupations and listen with attention to the voices speaking in their own center."  Henri Nouwen

Surviving

"How does one survive cancer? Of course -- good doctors, good insurance, good luck. But the real healing comes from not being forgotten. From attention, from care, from love, from being surrounded by a community of those who demand information on your behalf, who advocate and stand up for you when you are in a weakened state, who sleep by your side, who refuse to let you give up, who bring you meals, who see you not as a patient or victim but as a precious human being, who create metaphors where you can imagine your survival. This is my medicine, and nothing less will suffice."  Eve Ensler

STOP!

"Just for this moment, stop. Stop everything. Stop and look around. Stop and breathe. Stop and take in what you already have. Name the beauty around you. Each and every thing, sight, color. Just for a moment--or five moments. Notice all the things that feed you that aren't food. And then notice what happens."  Geneen Roth

Be Here Now

"To live in the present moment is a miracle. The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green Earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now." ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Life as Story

"As creatures of story, we long for story; not just wordiness but the quality of interaction story engages in us.  Ironically so many of us experience great loneliness as we jostle around each other on crowded streets, overhear each other on cell phone, or cruise the internet late at night.   As we practice the art of storycatching, we can look for opportunities to insert story space into our daily life when we pay attention, and when we are paid attention to, we learn to take our place in the story going on around us."  Christina Baldwin

Perhaps

"Perhaps we wouldn't eat so much or smoke, or drink so much, if we were paying attention to ourselves.   Perhaps we wouldn't talk so much if we were paying attention to each other.   All of these oral activities are trying to meet a need, and perhaps the greatest need is to be seen and heard."  Christina Baldwin