"There is ecstasy in paying attention." Anne Lamott, bird by bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life (p.100).
How easy it is to careen through life day after day, perpetually occupied, but never truly present. I know better, I really do. I know the difference between listening and really hearing, between looking and really seeing. So, why is it so hard to give my full attention to the moment? My mind skips back and forth in time, replaying, planning, worrying. Sometimes I think how easy it would be to miss one's own life by failing to pay attention to the small moments of beauty, joy, sorrow and humanity.
How do we begin to pay attention?
Writer Anne Lamott celebrates the way a certain line of poetry or prose can "startle" us into attention. "This is our goal as writers, I think; to help others have this sense of - please forgive me - wonder, of seeing things anew, things that can catch us off guard, that break in on our small, bordered worlds." (p.100) This is a worthy goal as writers; it is also a powerful incentive as readers.
As teachers of children, we have the opportunity to help our students discover - or rediscover - the joy of paying attention to the world. We can share good literature and we can encourage our students to startle others with the clarity, honesty or humanity of their words. First, however, we need to train ourselves to pay attention to the world.
For me, the "dailyness" of teaching is the enemy of attending -- to our students, the world and ourselves. I think you're right - paying attention in the midst of so much busyness is a discipline -- but a discipline that anchors real satisfaction and joy.
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