Practice

I was talking to someone last night about blogging and Instagram and made a realization as I was speaking it.

What I told my friend at dinner is this: At this time in my life, I don't meditate, I don't have a regular (daily) prayer practice, I don't keep a journal anymore, I don't write a list of my gratitudes or intentions every day, I don't write in a day book.

I work full-time and I care for the people around me (who include my parents and my kids and my sweetie and my dogs) and I contribute to the life of my church and I try to nurture the relationships I have with friends near and far and I (roughly) keep my home in order and, well, I do a lot on a daily basis.

So while I recognize a need for a self-nurturing daily practice of some sort, I don't have one. Or so I thought.

My daily beverage, in the cup my girls gave me for Mother's Day years ago, in front of my monitor, with talismans and other meaningful keepsakes on my desk at work

 

The truth is I DO have a practice. I have a practice of noticing.

I notice my dad's stargazer lily in bloom and the sunflowers he planted for me in the garden. I notice when the light is just so on the mountain and when the rain is coming down the valley in a visible line. I notice the spider on the iris outside my office building and the way the lines on the campus pool and the lights above it make an interesting reflection. I notice when my oldest daughter leaves me the gift of a heart-shaped rock on my bedside table after a day at science camp. I notice how long and lanky (and confident) my youngest daughter has grown in the short span of a summer.

I notice.

This summer especially, I've tried to take that noticing to a more intentional level. I try to take a photo (or several) of the things in my world that make me happy or bring me joy or which I find beautiful and post the photo to social media (usually Instagram but also Facebook and, hopefully now, here) along with a few words. For the most part, I find I can/want to do this on a daily basis. If I miss a day or two I don't worry too much about it but I am trying to stay as close to daily in this practice as I can.

This is my meditation, my prayer, my gratitude list, my book of joy.

And you know: that's more than okay, it's just about perfect.

Some of the photos I've posted to Instagram this summer