Take Five... to Pause, Look, and Truly See
Introducing the 5-minute photo focus challenge
“It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see.”
— Henry David Thoreau
Hi everyone,
If you’ve been following along with me on this journey over the past 20 months you’ve noticed that I always lead with an image to introduce a topic.
I love what a photograph can do to move us; to expand our perspective; to help us see and grow beyond ourselves.
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It is in that spirit I’ve decided to launch a new series on The Journey Home.
It’s called the Take Five Photo Focus Challenge.
Here’s what it will look like:
Every Friday — give or take — I will deliver a photo in your inbox with an invitation that you give it 5 minutes of your undivided attention.
The purpose of this challenge is to let one image, and your study of it, give you an opportunity to pause, reflect, and notice what it stirs (or stirs up) in you.
What do you see in the photograph? What is it telegraphing? What or who does it remind you of? As you sit with it, what thoughts, sensations, or ah-has arise? As you sit with it even longer, perhaps uncomfortably so, what do you see that you didn’t see before?
How does the photo make you feel… in all its full, messy, multi-sensory ways.
Whatever it is that gets stirred, the task is to enter into the experience with beginner’s mind. See if you come away with a new insight, an expanded perspective, a heightened awareness, or a more spacious view of the world.
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And the best part of all — to the degree that there is discomfort involved — letting something stir you up for five minutes without doing anything to fix, change, or manage it, brings you closer to clearing it.
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Ahhh then… let’s play!
You’ll find the first image below. 🤩
Take Five — Cleaning the Tank
Set a timer for five minutes. Study the photo below. Notice the urge to rush and simply breathe into any resisting impulses.
Use the prompts below to guide you. Share your impressions with us in the comments.
What do you see in this photograph?
How does it make you feel? (Anxious? Calm? Claustrophobic…?)
What does it convey? Reveal? Remind you of?
What “tank” needs cleaning in your life?
Speaking of Beginner’s Mind
In case you missed it…
A Spacious Practice
Cultivating the art of beginner’s mind. Let these images transport and give you a chance to let go of any preconceived notions.
First, I love what you're doing. This challenge is a great idea. Second, I could not look at that photo for five minutes. I loved the image and it brought me back to my recent visits to the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. I loved the composition, the sharp details and so much about the image and I remembered the feeling of scuba diving and started thinking about how much I'd love to go diving again....but I couldn't stick with it for five minutes. I even tried...set a timer and everything.
I see a skilled worker cleaning a tank with an audience of fish which need the clean tank to flourish and be healthy . My house inner & outer needs to be cleaned of things that inhibit my flourishing. It also reminds me of scuba diving many years ago and the wonder I experienced.