Signals, Luci Shaw
Meditation
Most of the wise people I know say that gratitude is the clearest way to a happy life. Yet, I often find it hard to practice being thankful for the mundane things I know I should be. This discipline of noticing and acknowledging is one of the reasons I admire poets. I especially admire Luci Shaw, who writes candidly about the process of learning gratitude.
In this poem, she discusses the many ways the Divine repeatedly broke into her sightline with silly, beautiful, mundane things. She got a hint that something was afoot when she saw her “initials in the sand,” and as the honeycombs and “hillside of trees” compounded, she realized that the only way to respond was with gratitude.
What silly, mundane, beautiful things have broken through your sightline today? Make a list, include things that feel silly like seeing your initials in the sand. Write a short thank you note for these things.
Hannah Wardell, Colorado Springs, CO
