Pay Attention
As I sit here listening to the rain, my fingers tapping this out, I take a minute to become aware of what each of my five senses are picking out at this moment.
The lovely sound of rain outside and the whirr of the fan inside.
My fingers touching the keyboard — I usually write in longhand, pen and paper- but tonight I’ve chosen to type instead. My forearms touching the laptop and the table, I become aware of the pressure I’m exerting on them. My buttocks on the chair and I feel slight twinge in my back. My feet are firmly planted on the ground.
Eyes are focused on this page, watching the letters appear somewhat magically on the screen!
I smell the rain as I inhale, becoming aware too that I haven’t taken a deep breath for a while!
And I can still taste that slice of bottled peach that I had as dessert — it was delicious.
Writing this makes me realise how often I ignore my senses when I write.
Today, the rain urged me to pay attention and focus on my senses.
Try this exercise. You’ll learn something about yourself. I did.
I’m trying to cause people to be interested in the particulars of their lives because I think that there’s one thing literature can do for us. It can say to us: pay attention. Pay closer attention. — Richard Ford
