by Nancy Casey
Each one of us lives at the center of our own universe. Awareness is the tool we use to explore that universe and extend it outward.
Today’s writing gives you a chance to be aware of your awareness.
Our awareness brings information from our senses. Our logical minds, emotions, and memory are part of our awareness, too. So are “uncanny feelings” and “sixth senses.” Sometimes when people pray or meditate, they describe their experience as “pure awareness.”
Imagine a small bubble around yourself, a bubble that is close in. It could be your skin. It could be the room you are in, or everything that is within 3 feet of you. Whatever close-in bubble you choose, write down some of the things you are aware of inside of it. You might include physical objects or people, sounds and smells, ideas and plans. Whatever you are aware of in the tiny world closest to you.
After you have written several lines about your closest bubble, expand the bubble a little bit. Write about new things you can be aware of inside the bubble that’s a little bigger than the first one.
Keep doing that. You will end up describing the universe that begins with you, starting with a small bubble that you are inside of. Then you will write about the contents of ever larger bubbles that extend outward from you.
You can organize your page in several ways. You can put yourself in the center, draw the actual bubbles and write (and draw) inside of them. Or you can divide the page into drawing space and writing space, alternating between the two according to your inspiration.
Actually, you can organize the page however you want. Just be sure to leave room for a title at the top. Write down your title after the page is full and you have looked over your work. Sometimes a really fun title will just pop into your head then.
If you like, you can repeat this exercise and put somebody else in the center of the smallest bubble. Then you have to imagine what they must be aware of. This is a good way to exercise your capacity for empathy.
In addition to a title at the top, write the date on your work, too.
Here is an example of what someone could write. But there are many different ways to do this.
You can share your work by posting it as a comment below. You can type it in, or take a photo of it and upload the image.
Nancy Casey has lived in Latah County for many years. You can find more of her work here. Since it’s not possible to have an in-person Write-For-You class at the Recovery Center, if you are interested in writing coaching, contact Nancy or the Latah Recovery Center.
Latah Recovery Community Center, Inc. 