Today I have chosen the first chapter in The Book of Lane on “Awareness.”

Being aware is very much like staying in the present moment or being mindful.  It is noticing our surroundings and other people as well as ourselves: our flaws and our talents (God given and those developed through experience).  Being aware of, or thinking about our surroundings, is being mindful.  Both awareness and mindfully focusing are good ways not to get caught up in distractions and negative thinking.  Do you consider yourself to be an aware person who is mindful and lives in the moment? Do you meditate?  Being aware of everything going on at the present moment is one way to meditate.

I am particularly fond of Wilfred Peterson’s quote at the end of the excerpt.  He writes about awareness as developing a deep sensitivity to life.  Does “may suffer and know tragedy and die a little, but also experience the grandeur of human life,” resonate with you?