Thursday, October 29
Reflection: When I read this quote, it stopped me in my tracks because I really heard, maybe for the first time, that my attention is a finite resource and where I place it shapes how I experience my life. If you wanted to become a mother and that life wasn’t possible for you, you know how easily your attention can return to what’s missing- the milestones (a child’s first birthday, their first day of school, their graduations), then there’s family gatherings, and of course the future you imagined… That loss of a future you imagined deserves your attention. It deserves to be acknowledged and grieved.
Lately, as my garden season comes to an end, I’ve been thinking about what else deserves my attention. I’m sad watching my flowers die back, and yet some of them are turning the most beautiful shades of red, rust, and gold. The leaves are falling from the trees, but somehow they seem brighter than ever before…
Nature doesn’t hide its endings. It reminds me that growth, change, release, death, and rest are all part of the same cycle. Maybe death can hold beauty too- not because endings aren’t painful, but because something doesn’t become less meaningful simply because it ends.
I’ve realized that as a result, I tend to surround myself with things that pull my attention toward life: bright flowers, color throughout my home, and, of course, my goofy 90lb rescue dog Jersey. They remind me to look around, notice what is here, and remember that I am here too.
None of this erases the grief I carry for the choices my body never gave me the chance to make. So this week, I’m sitting with one question: What else in my life deserves my attention? - Adriana Rodriguez-Baptiste
Subscriber Spotlight:
Self Care Tip: Notice one thing today that is changing. Instead of immediately deciding whether the change is good or bad, simply pay attention to it.
Then ask yourself: What beauty might I be missing because I’m only looking for what used to be?
