Lessons from a hermit crab . . .
Make space.
Hello friend,
Hermit crabs, those funny creatures you find on the beach, carry their houses while moving through wet sand and waves. And when they have outgrown that space?
They let go. Take a risk. They leave the safety of the too-small shell and begin again, finding a larger shell in which to “be.”
Every year, I choose a word that becomes my shell, my home in which to focus my thinking and actions. “Renew” sets a daily awareness to reconnect, begin again, and resume creative passions that bring joy and life to my days.
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be home in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.
—John O’Donohue
As we roll into November, leaves begin swirling to the ground. Like that hermit crab, I feel myself outgrowing one word and searching for “the world that awaits.” Will I be ready and open to possibilities?
I’m on a word search. By now, if you follow my musings, you know I am a sucker for words.
One grabbed me by the arm this week urging me to give it a moment of my time. “Awareness” asked me to consider my “knowledge and understanding that something is happening or exists.
What if? Should I give awareness a spin? What if I wake up ready to observe, take note, notice, lend an ear, remain conscious, heed, and open my eyes? I’ve started asking one important question:
“What do I pay attention to, what am I missing?”
The good news is that awareness isn’t difficult.
The bad news, depending on how you show up in the world each day, is making attention a priority requires us to slow the pace.
In a world of constant productivity and insatiable need for progress, we miss what is right in front of us—the loveliness of life. Stop. Become aware.
Remember that hermit crab? She slows down enough to know and understand she needs a new home and pays attention to the sand in front of her.
The hermit crab shows up ready to learn, observe, and make space for the possibilities strewn across the sand—a new home.
Every habit requires practice. This week I will choose awareness.
I’ll report back to you.
But feel free to share what you observed this week.
More on my 2024 word of the year, RENEW.
Wendy MacNaughton, graphic journalist, offers a few lessons on the art of paying attention.
Give attention to the sunset, and those you love, and never forget the Butterfly (Jon Batiste).
“Slowing down is a practice, but it's also a choice. We must choose it every day.”
—Rachel Schwartzman, Slowing
If you would like to read more from me, visit my website. I’ll be there waiting for you.
With gratitude,
Kathryn
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