Looking Around

Reading Lamott again this week has been a treat. As usual, her wit and humor captivated me (this time on my four hour plane ride to Austin for a friend's wedding). I often find her advice on writing to be profound - easily applicable to life, not just writing. I was particularly struck by her chapter, Looking Around. Too often, we become caught up in our lives and the daily grind (myself included!), and fail to see and recognize the world going on around us. Lamott's point about not only seeing the world, but stepping outside of ourselves to view ourselves with "compassionate detachment" was particularly powerful. She goes on to state, "I honestly think in order to be a writer, you have to learn to be reverent. If not, why are you writing? Why are you here?"

What a great question. I want to work on reverence. Personal goal for the year.