We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. Thorton Wilder
This summer I’ve sometimes squandered my time by focusing on shortcomings. In this “busy” life, it is so easy to concentrate on the threads that ultimately don’t mean much. We all are guility of focusing our attention on individual puzzle pieces blinding ourselves to the overall picture. Many times, I’ve stopped and asked, “Does this really matter? Is this thought or emotion justified?” I come back to these questions over and over again, revisiting the same thought process. This exercise usually exhausts me. As much as I’ve learned to stop and think about what matters, I’ve yet to really internalize the answer to this question.
The key to internalizing what really matters is to be conscious of our treasures. What does that mean? During this past week, I really memorialized and attempted to pay attention to what I treasure. My daughter usually asks several questions during the day, ranging from the serious to the mundane. These mini-interruptions can fizzle into irritation sometimes, but I realized her questions are what I treasure. They reflect her need to learn and her yearning to have a conversation with me. Those exchanges are a continuous part of our days, a slow building of the relationship between mother and daughter. Another treasure in my life – the sound of my own mother’s voice. Everyday, every single day, I call and talk to my mother about nothing in particular. It is an automatic part of my day to hear her voice. There are other treasures, little unexpected surprises that give me pause. The other day as we were driving to dinner, we look out the window and see a double rainbow. It is the first time I’ve ever witnessed this mirror image of color in the sky. Inside, I heard a single word, treasure. And how conscious I was of its significance.
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
So happy that you are taking the time to notice the treasures in your life. Living with gratitude will give you peace. 🙂
I agree Ayala. There is a peace in recognizing and internalizing the treasures that are around us.
Oh, so many more treasures you will glimpse and touch through the years. Those memories will warm you for years.
Looking forward to all those times when I am aware enough to pay attention to the treasures that are around me.
I love it when our conversations show up in your blog!:)
And I love that you call your mom everyday. You are a wonderful daughter!
Ker, so many threads of our conversations appear in this space (in one form or another). I am grateful and conscious of the impact you’ve made in my life. It will be something I will never forget. Love ya! xoxo
I find that when I’m conscious or present I’m more likely to see a gift instead of something irritating, like you said with your daughter’s questions. When I’m stuck in my head, I miss the little gifts I’m given. It’s a choice to see life this way!
Yes. A conscious choice. I am not always great at implementing it, but when I do get irritated, I take a look around and try to steer myself in a place where I can appreciate what is happening in my world.
Even though my children are adults, they are still my greatest treasures. But, you remind me to be conscious of the other treasures in my life, and then appreciate them and be grateful. Thanks, Rudri. A wonderful post.
Gratitude, at least for me, sometimes takes practice. We entrench ourselves in matters that are insignificant, cursing the irritation of it all. But pausing and really paying attention to what is important has helped me cultivate a more clearer pathway to be conscious of my treasures.
Much gratitude to you for reading and your words of encouragement. Thank you.
Just as I’m having a beat myself up day and question any sliver of talent i may think I have and why bother and who am I kidding, I read this post. This is why and when blogging can be such a blessing. I think it needs a more dignified name than blogging.
To be conscious of the “treasures” in our lives….that’s what dims the superfluous, negative to a distant blur – into the irrelevant realm where it belongs. So glad I stopped in this afternoon.
Barb,
I think we all have those days where we question our talent and whether it is enough. Writing can be such a lonely pursuit and your words resonate with me. I am grateful that my words touched a part of you. It’s this community of writers and people who love the power of the word that helps me on those days that I am less conscious of what treasures I possess in and around me.
Thank you.
We saw that same double rainbow, Rudri!
It was beautiful wasn’t it? I am so grateful I could witness it.
And it’s those treasure we “discover” when we’re truly living in the moment that make the biggest impact.
I agree. Sometimes I realize the treasure after-the-fact… But working on trying to being conscious of it while I am in the moment.
The days can be so heavy sometimes. So long. So tedious. It’s hard to find the treasures. And then, as you say – the surprise of a moment, unexpected, and very full.
Yes. Always surprised when I have the awareness to appreciate those unexpected moments.
Lovely post and so true, challenging but so important to be conscious of those treasures.
You’ve reminded me to treasure my own son and his several questions that interrupt me daily, causing me irritation in moments, because of those very same reasons you treasure those questions of your daughter’s. Thank you for the reminder.
Coming to you via SITS. So glad I stopped by!
Melanie,
Welcome! So grateful that my words resonated with you. It is a challenge to be actively conscious of our treasures. We get caught up in the “busy” and forget that our irritations are truly where beauty and living reside.
Thanks for your words of encouragement. I appreciate it.
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing.
Happy Sharefest!
Thanks for reading. And I appreciate your comment.
I love reading your posts because I am on the same journey and I love being reminded of the most important things.