Mary Oliver cell phone attention

The dream of my life
Is to lie down by a slow river
And stare at the light in the trees —
To learn something by being nothing
A little while but the rich
Lens of attention.

~ Mary Oliver (from “Entering the Kingdom”)

I’m a big Mary Oliver fan. She can paint an image and evoke a mood like few others.

So much of what she writes is about being slow, curious, watchful… and attentive. Attention is Mary Oliver’s whole secret in life - her goal, her charge, her happiness. She finds the truths (and the treasures) no one else finds, just because she’s not in a rush. And she’s actually looking out for it.

After all, when was the last time you set out to “learn something by being nothing but the rich lens of attention?” I know. I can’t think of a time either.

They say time is more valuable than money, but what about attention? It’s the essence of our life experience, the focus of our whole person. You could consider attention the most valuable asset of all. And yet… we’re giving it away, hand over first, in unprecedented ways in our era. Partly because of the frenetic pace of our lives, and partly because of our gadgets. Mostly our cell phones.

I find this quote by John Mark Comer from The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry helpful:

There are literally thousands of apps and devices intentionally engineered to steal your attention. And with it's your money. Reminder: your phone doesn't actually work for you. You pay for it, yes. But it works for a multibillion-dollar corporation in California, not for you. You are not the customer; you are the product. It's your attention that's for sale, along with your peace of mind.

He’s right; the product is indeed our attention. I’ve run across the term “attention-harvesting,” getting “your eyeballs on the screen in order to sell your attention to advertisers.” Does’t that term doesn’t give you the creeps? But that’s what it is.

I want a handle on my attention. I don’t want it flitting about, hither and yon, because I’d fell into a sad, gradual slide into total distractibility. Another famous Mary Oliver line on this topic: “Attention is the beginning of devotion.” Yes.

I can learn from Mary, about being present and experience-focused. Experience-filled. I can learn from Mary, by trading time on my phone (I guarantee she didn’t have one) for a slow river. Or really a slow anything.

So this is what it’s about. Defying the machine and expectations of our age… and harnessing (or re-engaging) our attention - for the joy of beauty. And for the good of our souls

I have some ideas on how we go about this. And I’d love to hear yours. (Leave me your thoughts in the comments!)

To anchor this conversation and offer suggestions, I created a free guide, “Cell + Soul: 5 steps toward less cell, more soul.” I also offer cell phone challenges and provide screen coaching, so drop me a line if you’re interested in either of those!

Let’s let Mary Oliver be our mentor on this one, and side step the norms of our culture. Let’s hold onto our attention, whatever it takes, and preserve a soul worth having.

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