Over the course of the next six months, I’m going to share with you some thoughts on 26 verbs….one per week. Each verb is an action. Each of these actions will support your process of becoming as fully YOU as you can be. I believe that’s why we are here – to develop and manifest the uniqueness of who we are. Every single one of us is an utterly unique expression of the universe. There is no other, has been no other, will be no other, expression of the universe with the same uniqueness as YOU.
This is a life process, and its a process of becoming. It’s not a process with a fixed end point, and we never quite know how it’s all going to go but I’m working from the core belief that every day I can contribute to this process of becoming by choosing how to live, by choosing which actions to take.
So, let’s start with A.
My A verb is ATTEND.
Let’s think about some of the meanings of the verb, attend.
- to be present at
- to go with, or accompany
- to take care of
- to wait upon
- to watch over, or look after
- to listen to, or give heed to
- to wait for or expect.
The English word, attend, comes from the 14th century French, “attendre”, meaning “to direct one’s mind or energies”, “to wait for, pay attention”, and from the Latin, “attendere” which literally means “to stretch toward” (or “give heed to”)
So, what are you choosing to be present with today? What, or who, are you choosing to be with, to accompany?
What, or who, are you taking care of, looking after, listening to, or giving heed to?
What are you waiting for, or what do you expect of today? What are you “stretching toward”, reaching out to?
Attending to something involves paying it attention, and it seems to be that whatever we pay attention to gets bigger. The more we think about a particular issue, the more that issue looms large in our minds. Attending to, in that sense, is a bit like a magnifying glass.
So, when we attend to something, or someone, today, whether that be our thoughts or feelings, or objects, people, activities……whatever it is will grow.
What do we want to grow? Which thoughts, which feelings? Who, or what, do we want to nurture?
I’m only going to share one verb a week, and I’m going to explore that verb every day for a week (that doesn’t mean I’ll write about it here every day, mind you!) I invite you to share this with me. I’m inviting you to explore these verbs with me and share as much of your exploration as you want, in whatever way you want…..comments, your own blog, Facebook, tweets, instagrams…..whatever works for you.
This is an invitation to participate in becoming more truly, more fully YOU.
I shall attend to my own needs as much, if not more, than I attend to the needs of others: I shall not always say ‘yes’ when I really mean ‘no’, taking the risk of disapproval; I shall cease being a slave to duty in order to become free to be more truly myself; I shall love myself a little more so that I might love the other person a little better.
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