How do we pay attention to the ongoing conversation in our world? When we pause to listen, do we recognize its constant invitation? What curiosity is stirred by this exchange?
When we are faced with the decision of what to do now, what questions do we ask? How do we offer and express ourselves?
When all that is familiar is challenged, how do we participate in what remains? Does a pressure constrict our chest as we lean into this dialogue? Do we feel engulfed or limitless, or an emotional hybrid of the two? Will we listen to the voice of reason, to the angry diatribe, to our inner critic, to our better angels?
Can we survive the consequences of our ignorance? Will we learn and grow and pass on our knowledge, even attain wisdom? Can we celebrate our progress? Share our successes? Can we weather the passage of time?
What story is told by our actions? Our daily choices? What do our possessions reveal about our values? When disaster strikes, what will we have left to claim? Can we learn to release the illusion of control? Receive the generosity of others with open arms?
How long must we wait until our labor bears fruit? Will we ever witness a return on our investment? Forgiveness for our shortcomings?
Or is our legacy something we can only view in retrospect, though the eyes of our successors, after our fleeting hour is over? Will we notice with gratitude our tiny stream joining the flow of this eternal conversation?