Learning to See the Sacred in the Small Things

Attention, Presence, and the Spiritual Practice of the Ordinary

The View from where I write. (Photo taken by Author)

Sometimes the most ordinary moments can feel extraordinary.

My next patient leaned in to her daughter and whispered, ‘What’s his name again?’

‘Sean,’ the daughter replied instantly.

I couldn’t help but smile.

It struck me how often my patients do remember my name — and how easily I overlook that. Today, though, I let myself see the beauty in it. A small detail, maybe, but one I would’ve missed entirely not long ago

Because, I’m a recovering gambling addict. During the 8 years of my life consumed by betting, I gradually lost sight of the beauty in this life.

Not just in the small things, like a patient remembering my name — in the everything. Days passed me by as I lay on the couch, only shifting my gaze from the betting slips on my phone to the T.V.. I wasn’t able to hear or process the small nuggets of gold that God presented me with throughout the day because I was always so mentally distracted by a bet that was in action.

Which, I suppose, was the entire reason for my gambling. It gave me something to obsess over so I didn’t have to face the stillness of real life.