As I surface from divorce and grief and a self I've sometimes lost along the way, I'm learning to plumb the depths, find focus and flow, and pay deeper attention to what truly matters.
Find out more about David Kessler’s work and groups at Grief.com. Blessings to all on this path. David is wonderful and has an on-going online support group. 🙏💕
One of the reasons I faithfully read your essays is because of your commitment to going deep. Your depth in writing always moves me, Amy. And I’m at a point in my life where I no longer want to wade in the shallow end. I want to go deep!
I find myself internally cringing when I’m in the midst of small talk - I want to be moved. I want to talk about the BIG stuff. Let’s stop skimming the surface. So I appreciate and resonate with this essay so very much.
Stolen Focus is such a fantastic read. Just yesterday, as I was watching my 10 year old paint a big bird house that she made in woodworking class this week at camp, I could see how she was in flow. That deep dance of immersion in what she was creating. She sat and painted for 2 straight hours. It almost brought tears to my eyes because she’s at that tender age where the shiny devices are what is pulling her attention (begging for her own cell phone lately). We ARE all capable of finding our flow state. It’s just the noisy world that continues to pull us out.
Thank you for your always thoughtful comments, Allison. I appreciate that we are diving into the depths together. I am thinking of the John O' Donohue prose essay that Laura shared with us in The Bigger Yes, in which he writes in part: "Once you start to awaken, no one can ever claim you again for the old patterns. Now you realize how precious your time here is. You are no longer willing to squander your essence on undertakings that do not nourish your true self. Your patience grows thin with tired talk and dead language."
And I am not surprised you also read Stolen Focus. How lovely that your daughter was so immersed in her bird house painting project. I agree we can all find that flow state again and even if it is harder as adults to claim that natural child tendency toward it, it is still within reach.
Thanks for including that link to John O’Donohue! Such resonance. Once you wake up to all of this, you simply cannot sleep walk through life anymore. It’s a gift!
Thank you Amy for once again so articulately & beautifully expressing the value of depth and what fewer distractions might offer us.
I, too resonate as this summer I've been diving deeper & plumbing the depths researching to create a few Storytelling/writing & Narrative Practices pieces. It's humbling as I seek more solid focus while living in our deeply distracting world.
Today's Maria Popova featured poet Mary Oliver (beloved to me and so many others) writing about layers of distractions including one's own mind. Resonate with this too.
My mind has always been a very busy neighborhood 🤪. And that now combined with all the potential online distractions which for me these days are researching via internet multiple sites foe multiple footnotes from the print books of research about 1912 to 1930 feminism simultaneously. Wheeee!
I do enjoy this. Though the Acupuncturist words echo in my ears, "try not to try so hard, we must retrain your very busy mind" Yes, please. ♡
Thank you Kristin for this heartfelt comment. I see you in your humble and beautiful way seeking focus in our distracted world, reminding us of the power of storytelling. Thanks for mentioning that Maria Popova featured Mary Oliver, beloved to me, too, I will check it out. What a wonderful phrase, "my mind has always been a very busy neighborhood." Yes, yes, I can relate! I am intrigued about your 1900s feminist research. Must be a fascinating rabbit hole! And I will keep your acupuncturist's words close as well. How wise!
Amy, so honored to be quoted / mentioned here . You had me on the first read! Like pilgrims on a parallel journey, I just finished The Big Leap, completely get the zone of genius and the flow and once you know that, you know just as well when it's not that! And the re-call is powerful to return. Thanks for sharing your life with us. I'm paying deep attention!
Alecia, thank you for making me think so deeply about depth! We certainly are pilgrims on a parallel journey and come September, I will be a true "peregrino" as I walk the Camino de Santiago with my older daughter. The journey continues....
What you say in this eloquent piece really rings the chimes within me -- and my own drive toward depth and presence is a great gift of this time in my life. For me, it's why aging is to be embraced and not feared.
Thank you Jan, for taking the time to read and comment with such kindness and thoughtfulness. We are kindred spirits in embracing our aging. It is so liberating!
This is a potent interpretation! At some point the men got all the agency! What if it isn’t about men? Ha! And women actually create our lives completely????
Wow, Sofia, what a fascinating and articulate comment on the myth of Persephone, I can really see how it applies to what I attempted to describe here. Thank you for that! And thank you for your encouragement.
Thank you for your share, Amy🙏 regarding your Mom passing and your reference re: “anticipatory grief”
I wanted to share that later today at 2pm 7/9 there is a free interview with grief expert David Kessler and a Hospice Nurse discussing Death and Anticipatory Grief. https://www.davidkesslertraining.com/e/BAh7BjoWZW1haWxfZGVsaXZlcnlfaWRsKwhrr8lwBQA%3D--ab28410a55ff882f3f7061a98720a0156aceaf4c?skip_click_tracking=true#. You can sign up for free and a recording will be available as well.
Find out more about David Kessler’s work and groups at Grief.com. Blessings to all on this path. David is wonderful and has an on-going online support group. 🙏💕
One of the reasons I faithfully read your essays is because of your commitment to going deep. Your depth in writing always moves me, Amy. And I’m at a point in my life where I no longer want to wade in the shallow end. I want to go deep!
I find myself internally cringing when I’m in the midst of small talk - I want to be moved. I want to talk about the BIG stuff. Let’s stop skimming the surface. So I appreciate and resonate with this essay so very much.
Stolen Focus is such a fantastic read. Just yesterday, as I was watching my 10 year old paint a big bird house that she made in woodworking class this week at camp, I could see how she was in flow. That deep dance of immersion in what she was creating. She sat and painted for 2 straight hours. It almost brought tears to my eyes because she’s at that tender age where the shiny devices are what is pulling her attention (begging for her own cell phone lately). We ARE all capable of finding our flow state. It’s just the noisy world that continues to pull us out.
Thanks for this timely reminder to go deep. 🙏🏼💕
Thank you for your always thoughtful comments, Allison. I appreciate that we are diving into the depths together. I am thinking of the John O' Donohue prose essay that Laura shared with us in The Bigger Yes, in which he writes in part: "Once you start to awaken, no one can ever claim you again for the old patterns. Now you realize how precious your time here is. You are no longer willing to squander your essence on undertakings that do not nourish your true self. Your patience grows thin with tired talk and dead language."
https://onejourney.net/john-odonohue-quote-once-you-start-to-awaken/
And I am not surprised you also read Stolen Focus. How lovely that your daughter was so immersed in her bird house painting project. I agree we can all find that flow state again and even if it is harder as adults to claim that natural child tendency toward it, it is still within reach.
Thanks for including that link to John O’Donohue! Such resonance. Once you wake up to all of this, you simply cannot sleep walk through life anymore. It’s a gift!
Thank you Amy for once again so articulately & beautifully expressing the value of depth and what fewer distractions might offer us.
I, too resonate as this summer I've been diving deeper & plumbing the depths researching to create a few Storytelling/writing & Narrative Practices pieces. It's humbling as I seek more solid focus while living in our deeply distracting world.
Today's Maria Popova featured poet Mary Oliver (beloved to me and so many others) writing about layers of distractions including one's own mind. Resonate with this too.
My mind has always been a very busy neighborhood 🤪. And that now combined with all the potential online distractions which for me these days are researching via internet multiple sites foe multiple footnotes from the print books of research about 1912 to 1930 feminism simultaneously. Wheeee!
I do enjoy this. Though the Acupuncturist words echo in my ears, "try not to try so hard, we must retrain your very busy mind" Yes, please. ♡
Thanks again Amy.
pieces.
“My mind has always been a very busy neighborhood”. Oh how I relate to that so much, Kristin!
Thank you Kristin for this heartfelt comment. I see you in your humble and beautiful way seeking focus in our distracted world, reminding us of the power of storytelling. Thanks for mentioning that Maria Popova featured Mary Oliver, beloved to me, too, I will check it out. What a wonderful phrase, "my mind has always been a very busy neighborhood." Yes, yes, I can relate! I am intrigued about your 1900s feminist research. Must be a fascinating rabbit hole! And I will keep your acupuncturist's words close as well. How wise!
I just emailed the Mary Oliver post.♡
Amy, so honored to be quoted / mentioned here . You had me on the first read! Like pilgrims on a parallel journey, I just finished The Big Leap, completely get the zone of genius and the flow and once you know that, you know just as well when it's not that! And the re-call is powerful to return. Thanks for sharing your life with us. I'm paying deep attention!
Alecia, thank you for making me think so deeply about depth! We certainly are pilgrims on a parallel journey and come September, I will be a true "peregrino" as I walk the Camino de Santiago with my older daughter. The journey continues....
What you say in this eloquent piece really rings the chimes within me -- and my own drive toward depth and presence is a great gift of this time in my life. For me, it's why aging is to be embraced and not feared.
Thank you Jan, for taking the time to read and comment with such kindness and thoughtfulness. We are kindred spirits in embracing our aging. It is so liberating!
This is a potent interpretation! At some point the men got all the agency! What if it isn’t about men? Ha! And women actually create our lives completely????
Wow, Sofia, what a fascinating and articulate comment on the myth of Persephone, I can really see how it applies to what I attempted to describe here. Thank you for that! And thank you for your encouragement.