Attention: Simple Yet Profound « Having Enough (In a Have-It-All World)

Attention: Simple Yet Profound

May 20, 2008

I’ve had this quote on my fridge for years now, and a friend who visited recently emailed me after she got home and asked me for the quote. It really is a profound concept, which speaks so aptly to Having Enough:

“Attention is the most basic form of love; through it we bless and are blessed.” - John Tarrant.

The quote helps me stop if I’m feeling rushed to do too many things. Stop and pay attention. If I’m frustrated with the demands of a toddler. Stop and pay attention. Time goes all too fast. If my husband and I are butting heads; stop and pay attention. He just wants attention, too.

It goes with another tenet I love, from Jack Kornfield, I think: At the bottom of it all, everyone just wants to be appreciated and understood.

To do this, we must pay attention. I must pay attention.

I don’t think I’ll ever remove that quote from my fridge.

Entry Filed under: Uncategorized. .

4 Comments Add your own

1. Mrs. Jones (aka Sugar) | May 22, 2008 at 3:51 pm

Megan, you are so right! It doesn’t take a lot of extra energy and it’s usually free… but how stingy some people are with their attention. My soon-to-be ex-husband never quite got this simple truth… darn.
2. rowena | May 22, 2008 at 6:05 pm

That is true. The toddler whining to be picked up isn’t so far off from the grown up picking fights for no reason.

Attention.

I wonder how it would be to pay attention to the people in our lives the way we try to pay attention to, say a flower, or a meal, or a sunset.

Hmmm.
3. Christina | May 24, 2008 at 8:51 am

I’m so glad that I saw this quote on your fridge! There’s a company that puts out meditation/yoga/etc. materials and they are called “Sounds True.” This is one of those quotes that I hear and my first thought is “sounds true!”
4. Jena | May 27, 2008 at 7:26 pm

Almost painful to read today, as I own up to how often I don’t stop to pay attention. Or is that me being hard on myself?

Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed

Welcome!

You are visiting "Having Enough (In a Have-It-All World)"...

Blog Mission

To spark conversation about redefining success (as individuals, families and institutions) and to counter "never enough" messages currently circulating in our culture.

Blog Author

Megan Pincus Kajitani: Writer, Editor, Former Academic Overachiever and Career Counselor, Mom, Wife, Feminist, Gen Xer, Californian who believes that change is possible

Books for Having Enough Kids

www.megansbarefootbooks.com

Monthly Quote

A good teacher is a master of simplification and an enemy of simplism. -- Louis A. Berman

Monthly Affirmation

To recognize all I have to learn -- and always will have to learn -- is part of being an evolving person. To analyze the complexities of our world with respect, passion, and often wonder -- to students, children, peers -- is part of my contribution. To honor those who teach me shows that I understand gratitude, and what is most important in this life. REPEAT: I honor my learning, and I honor my teaching. To continue this cycle: that is enough.

	sadaf on Stay-cation!
	thefamilyedge on Stay-cation!
	bridge on Stay-cation!
	Sugar on Stay-cation!
	Megan on News and Review

Having Enough (In a Have-It-All World)