Do yourself a favor: investigate a book titled “The Book of Awakening” by Mark Nepo. It is simple, profound, and beautiful. Each page is a thought for the day, a thought and reflection from the poetic, spiritual heart of Nepo. Amazing.
For this day: “Much of our anxiety and inner turmoil comes from living in a global culture whose values drive us from the essence of what matters. At the heart of this is the conflict between the outer definition of success and the inner value of peace. Unfortunately, we are encouraged, even trained, to get attention when the renewing secret of life is to give attention.”
“The longer we try to get attention instead of giving it, the deeper our unhappiness. It leads us to move through the world dreaming of greatness, needing to be verified at every turn, when feelings of oneness grace us only when we verify the life around us. It makes us desperate to be loved, when we sorely need the medicine of being loving.”
This reality leaves us with these choices: “fame or peace, be a celebrity or celebrate being, work all our days to be seen or devote ourselves to seeing, build our identity on the attention we can get or find our place in the beauty of things by the attention we can give.”
I offer Nepo’s wonderful thought in the spirit of The One who taught this same approach to life centuries ago, who pointed out that this is the pathway to God and the deepest joy of life. Press on; don’t give up. Don’t give in. Just give.
Shining Spirit 
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