I like the feature of Kindle readers that sends a single file to my email that consists of the highlights I marked with a fingertip while reading a given book. The other day, I saw a reference to "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway" by Susan Jeffers. I immediately recognized that book as one I read and admired decades ago. That was before Kindles and their downloading technology of whole books. Thinking about the Jeffers book and the satisfaction of getting a file of valuable remarks an author made, got me thinking about the book "Breath by Breath" by Larry Rosenburg. That book I did read post-Kindle tech. I thought of downloading the file of highlights from Breath by Breath before I found that I had already downloaded them and posted them on a web page.
They are on this page:
https://sites.google.com/view/kirbyvariety1/breath-by-breath-notes
The first highlight is
The cultivation of mindfulness is ultimately a matter of life and death, not in a scary way, but in the sense that we are always at risk, in every moment, for missing what is deepest and richest in our lives, the texture of the tapestry itself. We might say (every pun intended) that the richness lies right beneath our noses in any and every moment.
I consider that comment to be along the lines of "What's going on behind me?" I like the idea. It also relates to FOMO, Fear Of Missing Out.
See, the thing is you and I and everybody misses out every minute. It is indeed good to be alert, to be aware, to be open. But you and I and my friends missed out on what happened yesterday in Lagos. Also on what happened down the road. Also what Lynn made in her ceramics work in the basement.
Sorry, we just cannot keep up. Try to live with that knowledge. Try to relax, enjoy what you can and LET GO of the rest.
