Contributed by Olga Dudek
I saw the above quotation on a card recently. It made me laugh and reminded me of someone…me!
I realize that pausing to take a breath is sometimes so much more effective than being reactive, wherein I feel I instantly need to respond to a situation. I often need to remind myself to focus on what is going on right now, in this unique moment, while giving my “mind chatter” time to quiet down.
This was exquisitely pointed out last week when I watched a beautiful video entitled Celebrate What’s Right with the World. In this 22 minute video, Dewitt Jones (a world-class photojournalist for National Geographic) describes the process of “waiting for the right moment, being open to possibilities”.
An example that really stuck out for me was when Jones asked Maryanne Campbell, widely known as the finest weaver in Scotland, what she thinks about as she creates her intricate tapestries. Her reply: “When I weave, I weave”.
I decided to apply this kind of wisdom the next time I set out with my camera to a favourite nature preserve in my community. I am aware of the shift that takes place in me when I step outside and look through my camera. The world viewed through the lens of a camera creates a clarity that is often missed with the naked eye.
On this day, I quietly repeated the following words to bring myself more fully into the moment:
Clarity, focus, attention… Clarity, focus, attention…
Ahhhh… everything else began to slide into the background — work issues, relationship conflicts, financial concerns, everything I had previously been thinking about.
I spent time watching a beautiful great heron wading in the water and grooming itself. I marveled at the light playing off of his colourful feathers.
I snapped a few pictures and admired the result. Deciding I had a good one, I almost moved on. But I then I remembered and repeated my new mantra, “Clarity, focus, attention…” and patiently waited some more. Soon, two herons moved closer together and then I saw it, the “heart” created from their connection. This was the result…
Photo by Olga Dudek, 2010
Celebrate What’s Right with the World (Dewitt Jones, National Geographic, 22 minutes) is well worth viewing, even if you only have time to see part of it.
http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=43381348
Questions to ponder:
- Do you “suffer” from hurry-up-and-move-on-to-the-next-thing, like me?
- What values/gifts have you uncovered by being patient?
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
If you could live forever, would you want to?
Pencil or pen?
Thanks Karen for your comments. I very much appreciate them. I might just send that photo in. I have few others that I think are special too.
Or send it to Dewitt:
info@dewittjones.com
Sniff sniff, I just finished watching “Celebrate What’s Right with the World”…so fantastic… thanks so much Olga. It had me in tears with joy and hope…and a feeling of “Yes, THIS is it; this is what life is about”.
Also, just wanted to let you know that this post is one of my top favourites. I think about it all the time… and I still think your photo could be in National Geographic. So why not submit it?
National Geographic Society
1145 17th Street N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20036-4688
Beautiful message Olga xo
Olga, I finally had the time to view the video clip and wow, really enjoyed the message. It was so gently inspiring…. Thanks for drawing our attention to it!
BT
Hello Olga, I love your column and the heron heart photo grabbed my soul! The message you were meant to deliver about patience is exactly what I needed — pause and breathe — let the tapestry unfold.
The Dewitt Jones video is amazing! I pray that everyone will watch every second of it. I had the privilege of hearing Dewitt Jones in 2000 at a conference. His message rocked my soul back then. I loved it so much I bought the video of his presentation. I talked with him after the presentation – the man is entirely present. Much joy! Sharon
Olga,
Your post and your photograph are a beautiful gift. Sometimes when we allow things to unfold before us, instead of the usual and often rewarded “go and make it happen yourself”, we find an abundance of gifts. I think of it as the gift of FLOW. Recently I went skiing and it was my first days this season. The morning was difficult because I was trying to muscle my way through my turns and my legs were screaming…..later in the day….even though I was now tired..it was so much easier because I was giving myself over to the gravity and the pull of the slope and it was more fluid. Maybe I needed to exhaust myself a little before letting go of myself to nature.
I am almost always too busy to give the Monday morning email the attention it deserves…but when I saw it was contributed by Olga…I made the time. The herons are majestic….the message provoked a heavy sigh …and I thoroughly enjoyed the insite. Patience is a virtue. Thenk You. C
In our fast-paced, multi-tasking, instant gratification world, patience seems to be a virtue of bygone years. So,Olga, I agree that it helps to be reminded to stop, be present and patiently wait.
Thanks for this, Steve. I had the pleasure of meeting DeWitt back in 1997 at a FranklinCovey symposium. His slide presentation was truly memorizing and captured the hidden wonders of the world that are all around us. For me, in a week of great stories and learnings, his was the one that I still remember the most.
SPECTACULAR! A vision of love…love of honoring your higher self by staying present in the moment….and an incredible visual reflection of that love…….as all is one!