Paying Attention

Out of the blue it occurred to me today that I had been here in this place of retirement for eight years.  Eight years may not seem too long to some, but for a Methodist preacher like me who started out in  ministry knowing that the expected length of a pastorate would be four years, eight years is a long time.  In my preaching years I did manage to stay in one appointment ten years, another nine, and the final one, seven, so I learned to play havoc with appointment expectations. 

 

When I think back over this final season of my life, I remember thinking that it was important to become more conscious of each day.  I started out with an intent to spend more time smelling the roses, or the coffee.  To some degree I have lived out that part of the journey.  The one word which I have embraced over and over again in these days is a simple one:  "Pay attention to the present."  As I sat on the side porch today waiting on the grill to do its work, I put my head back and watched the big white clouds move toward each other.  When it seemed they would collide, I realized they were at different heights in the sky and one was passing under the other. 

 

Certainly, watching clouds can make one look like a dreamer, or a sluggard.  But, it is also an example of what it means to pay attention to the present.  There are things happening around me that I have not been seeing.  It is not that I have suddenly been given sight, but that I have learned to practice a new discipline of being aware of what is happening around me.  Paying attention gives me cause to see clouds moving, but more importantly it gives me a greater awareness of how God is present and at work all around me.  I enjoyed viewing the world from a pulpit, but the view afforded by paying attention is truly amazing.