On a hot day last summer, the little boy next door came over to bring me a letter that had been delivered to their house by mistake. I saw him at the screen door, staring fixedly at something. When I came closer, I saw that what he was staring at was a bright green bug slowly climbing the screen. What kind of bug was it? he asked eagerly. Where did it live? What did it eat? I had no idea, because I hadn’t even noticed the bug, and probably wouldn’t have if he hadn’t drawn my attention to it. You may have had similar experiences when out with a child, to whom the world is new, and small things can be very interesting.
As we carry the responsibilities of our adult lives, with a great deal occupying our minds, it seems fitting to take a little while to think about seeing life with interest and curiosity, putting aside what we thought we already knew.
This short video by Conor Neill introduces the practice of Shoshin, or beginner’s mind: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pgU4acU5_I
Writing exercise: Although Neill speaks of business opportunities, it might be worth considering what other kinds of opportunities could be fostered by a beginner’s mind.
One or more of these quotations might also serve as prompts for writing.
QUOTATIONS
“In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” ― Shunryu Suzuki
“When was the last time you saw something for the first time?” — Anonymous
“Every day is a fresh beginning. Every morn, the world is made anew.” Sarah Chauncey Wooley
“There are some people who see a great deal and some who see very little in the same things.”
― Thomas Henry Huxley
“Destinations are end points. Journeys are learnings, paths of possibilities, blossoming… fresh beginnings.” ― Rasheed Ogunlaru
“Have you ever seen the dawn? Not a dawn groggy with lack of sleep or hectic with mindless obligations and you about to rush off on an early adventure or business, but full of deep silence and absolute clarity of perception? A dawning which you truly observe, degree by degree. It is the most amazing moment of birth.” — Vera Nazarian
“Every day we can learn something new.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita
