How to Pay Attention This Week

There's always a current. Always something moving us.

I haven’t been to the lake much this winter. I drive by it. I see it shift even throughout the day from our 10-degree days to nearly 40, which will shift a small body of water quickly, but the big lake holds the story a little tighter. It will have layers of ice formed in balls or large slabs floating, melding together, crashing into each other, and telling stories of what has happened in the motion of the water.

Unless a storm comes in, the lake can be quite calm this time of year. The movements are also less visible with the ice on top of the surface. Standing on the shoreline after these cold and snowy days can make it hard to decipher where the beginning of the shoreline begins and ends. So we walk tenderly, thoughtfully, and with keen ears to know what sits below us. The sand can cover layers of ice that are thick or even at points thin, so we stand gently and observe the frozen and continually shifting lake.

The lake will be fog-coated on these warm, spring-like days as the air is warmer than the water and ground. As it melts, the snow lifts back into the sky and lowers the clouds to meet the horizon. The land blends into the sky till we finally cannot tell the difference between one or the other.

Standing on the lake shore with too many rocks in my pocket, I watch the layers of ice on the shore in front of me. Spots are open, and some are completely frozen. Yet even under the layers of ice, I can note the currents, movements, and ebbs and flows even though so much feels lifeless here. I find it fascinating to watch the water come to the shoreline or hear its movement under the ice. Reminding me that even when we are stuck, looking for direction, there is always a flow within us somewhere. There is something pulling us. Sometimes that is good. Sometimes that is not. Sometimes, it is neutral, but nonetheless, we are moving, flowing, and being pulled.

As we begin to head into the final full month of winter (February), hearing and listening to the current in our lives is necessary this final week of January.

Below, I give questions and reasons why hearing and understanding our own current in our life is important and essential.

---

The Garden Planning Intensive dates have been posted for all Paid Subscribers. This event series goes live in February, so now is a great time to become a subscriber for as little as $5 a month in order to gain access.

All Paid Subscribers head to the Member Space today to get access to the dates and subjects each event will cover along with the assignments to keep you on track.