“Do stuff. Be clenched, curious. Not waiting for inspiration's shove or society's kiss on your forehead. Pay attention. It's all about paying attention. Attention is vitality. It connects you with others. It makes you eager. Stay eager.”
― Susan Sontag
Tribal folklore speaks to the way elders raised their children. Children roamed, gathered, hunted, fished, ran and played. In the evenings, fathers would ask their children what they saw. They would ask questions like what side of the tree had more bark, what color leaves were, what animals were moving, to describe the clouds in the sky. In this way, the children knew they were expected to notice the world around them in as much detail as possible. They were expected to pay attention to nature, and so they did. They were not expected to know the difference between cirrus or cumulus clouds, or which produced more rain when they let go of their moisture, but they noticed. They watched. The paid attention. Through curiosity, we connect our observations to experience. We connect people to people. We connect people and Mother Earth. Observe your thoughts; observe your senses. Connect. For a moment each day practice looking around you and taking in the moment in as much detail as possible. In this way, we see the implications of the energy and actions surrounding and within us. This is how we learn. This is how we synthesize information. This is how we grow.
