A LESSON FROM A POEM ABOUT DEDICATION & BEING LOST IN THE MOMENT

A LESSON FROM A POEM ABOUT DEDICATION & BEING LOST IN THE MOMENT

The great twentieth century poet W.H. Auden wrote a poem called "Sext" in the 1950's which captures the idea of dedication and being lost in the moment of what you are doing. In athletics it's called "being in the zone" or being "hot" or "on a roll." Whatever you call it, this poem captures what happens when someone is doing what they love to do and are doing it with utter concentration. it's when we think about what we are doing that we become self conscious and nervous. It's like driving a car – it's done without step by step thinking about what we are doing. This is a great poem to meditate about. Here's the part of the poem I refer to:

You need not see what someone is doing
to know if it is his vocation,

you have only to watch his eyes:
a cook mixing a sauce, a surgeon

making a primary incision,
a clerk completing a bill of lading,

wear the same rapt expression,
forgetting themselves in a function.

How beautiful it is,
that eye-on-the-object look……..

One thought on “A LESSON FROM A POEM ABOUT DEDICATION & BEING LOST IN THE MOMENT

  1. Paul, love that passage. Could readily add an attorney crossing an expert or drafting a brief…getting lost in either te arguments or REIT thoughts as they sit in a moment wondering where they will go next. Look forward to seeing you at sleeping lady! Rest assured I’m going to pick your brain a bit on other matters.

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