Following the Threads of your Attention

Part 2 - My Results and the Pilot Project

I apologize if you received a post on joining the Pilot Project for Following the Threads recently. It was sent a little too soon with too little information. This post will provide some clarification on what that project will entail. And then, you can decide to join in or not. 

As I said in my last post, I’ve noticed over the years that what I choose to photograph has a lot to say about who I am and what I care about. In other words, it helps me to become more self-aware. What ignites my attention generally works the same way. And, as Mary Oliver says, it shows what you’re devoted to. Since May, I’ve been doing a practice of paying attention to where my attention goes and seeing what that’s telling me about what’s important now.

Why do this? How much time does it take?

Every week I marvel at the unexpected things that show up in my life, my newsfeed, the books I read, and the movies I watch. Every single day, we are changed by what we do and take in and the encounters we have. I wanted to track it more carefully to see if there were some connecting threads. And, to make it easier, I made a simple worksheet (which I’ve adjusted slightly) and started recording what caught my attention over the course of a week. Here are the main categories. 

• Home/Place/Travel

• Nature

• Media (TV, Movies, Podcasts, Videos, Music)

• Writing (Books, Essays, Newsletters, Articles, Blog Posts)

• People

• News

• Other

I mostly used one worksheet per week. Each morning (you could do it at night) I reviewed the day before. I thought about what I did and what showed up. I looked through my web history from that day.

At the end of each week, I went through the worksheet and highlighted five or so items that impacted me the most. These were things that made me feel something or made me curious to delve into more; perhaps something I could take action on. Sometimes, I would write down questions that arose from what I had highlighted. 

For example, in the month of June I was reading the 960 page autobiography of Barbra Streisand, someone whose career I’ve followed all my life. I found it to be totally inspiring and fascinating and I wondered, “Are some lives pre-ordained?” This is a question that also came up when I watched a documentary on Shirley Chisholm, another fascinating life. Streisand asked a similar question to Bill Clinton’s mother, who responded that Bill showed his brilliance from a young age but he also had to do the work to make it happen. This was a message for me.

Then, I looked for themes or patterns or associations in what I had written down. I wrote down the main message (or question or thought) for the week, and any potential actions I would take.

You could also create your own method, perhaps carrying a small notebook with you and jotting down things as they arise. Or, maybe you already journal every day and could focus on where your attention goes each day. 

Everyone’s list will look slightly different. I tend to spend a lot of my days reading, writing, walking, and photographing. Others might be at a workplace all day or caring for children or other family members. You might be someone who is more actively out in nature or volunteering in the community or spending time with friends. 

Following the Threads - my Results

This experiment covered the period of May 24 - August 4, a little over two months. Here are some overall observations.

As expected, much of my attention went towards reading, writing, and walking in town. And yet, meeting with friends and family, doing things around the house, and attending local events also takes up a good chunk of my time. With it being summer here, there was a lot more going on than perhaps there would be in the dead of winter. 

Relationships are really important to me, as well as spending time in natural places, and so I’m glad I had the chance to reunite with friends and family members and even visit a national and provincial park.

Turtles showed up as a theme as I read a fabulous book called Of Time and Turtles by Sy Montgomery. Turtles are simply amazing in themselves, but this book highlighted the dedicated people who are working hard to save hurt turtles, as well as preventing their extinction. Most turtle species are endangered. While reading this book, I visited Pinery Provincial Park and was surprised to see turtle conservation in action - frames protecting turtle eggs, signs, and even an encounter with a snapping turtle. I wrote a post about turtles and why I identify with them so much. 

Sometimes, things show up in our personal lives that require our attention. For me, our neighbors moved to England and we bought their car, which we are going to drive across the country for our son. That all required time and attention. We attended two unexpected funerals. The unpredictability of life was a major theme that made me recommit to living now!

The news of the day also affects our lives in profound ways. In the U.S. there is a presidential campaign going on that has resulted in all kinds of twists and turns. And, speaking of twists and turns, there were the Olympics! 

I listened to a lot of podcasts and read several books. There was one major theme that stood out, that is, of the invisible threads connecting us all. I learned of the interstitium, a newly discovered organ in the body that sends fluids between organs. I read about the nervous system, polyvagal theory, mycelial networks, and rhizomes. While I tried to write a post about all of this, it wasn’t really working because there’s so much more I need to know. However, I took action by agreeing to participate in a Kingship photography Canadian group, where we’re exploring the Between Bodies theme, with the goal of producing a collaborative exhibit. I’m going to focus on these invisible connections. That’s pretty exciting. 

And, a newsletter from Samantha Clarke introduced me to Jeannine Ouellette’s writing community, Writing in the Dark. I joined this community so that I could further my learning around writing essays.

What I noticed is that most of the things that come to my attention are new to me, that is, unexpected. I may listen or read something because I already have an interest but often, they come out of the blue or the ideas take me in new directions.

An Invitation

Would you like to try this for a short period of time, along with a group of others? I’m planning on convening a weekly community share of our attention journals, beginning Sunday, September 29th through November 10th. I’ll send out a weekly note when we start, then each Sunday for the following six weeks, we’ll share what we’ve discovered and learn from each other in a thread devoted to this project. Perhaps you’ll see something in what someone else posts that will help them or someone will see something in yours that will help you. 

Sign up below if you’re not already subscribed (it’s free, by the way). If you’re already subscribed to seeing clearly, you’ll receive the weekly posts by email. You can always check ‘Manage my Subscription’ and make sure Following the Threads is checked. Or you can always click on the Following the Threads archive. You can use my worksheet, or come up with your own system.

Conclusion

In the meantime, you can begin to notice your own attention and prepare for the pilot project through the practices below.

Big portions of life happen by chance. Notice what catches your attention by surprise? Is it unexpected and delightful or something undesirable? 

Notice how what you pay attention to feels in your body. Do you feel tension or nausea or anxiety or do you feel inspired and energized? What makes you feel stressed (helpless) and what makes you feel nourished (empowered)? 

What questions lie underneath what you’re paying attention to? 

This is not about goal setting. You probably already have goals and plans. But we always have to be ready to adjust depending on the circumstances of the moment. And, we always need to be learning and growing. What it really comes down to is seeing what’s needed now and directing your attention towards that. I’ll be posting a couple more things in September on this same topic to prepare us.

Please ask away in the comments if you have any questions.