From the Rector…
Watching Katie Ledecky swim the 1500 meter free in the Olympics a few weeks ago was inspiring. The 1500 meters is thirty laps of a 50-meter Olympic size pool or about 66 laps of a 25-yard swimming pool. As I watched Ledecky swim, I was mesmerized by her stroke count, breath, and kick. At times she looked like her kick was an afterthought, but having been a competitive swimmer I know how much the kick matters. Every flip turn can cost you precious tenths of seconds, so coming out of a flip turn means holding your breath just a little longer and pulling at least one, if not two, strokes before swiveling your neck and gasping for something other than water to fill your lungs. Each stroke not only slices into the surface of the water but is also accompanied by force from the shoulders while pulling with a closed hand and a tight wrist. Each component of the swim requires thought and focus to maintain your form and remain competitive to the end.
Consider how monotonous it is to swim lap after lap and not get anywhere. Getting distracted or losing focus can waste precious time as your form deteriorates or you fail to execute a perfect flip turn. Your core muscles can slacken, and your kick becomes less effective. You might also forget to pay attention to how tight your hand is or let your wrist become floppy, resulting in insufficient pulling force. Swimming is as much a mental game as anything else. You can psyche yourself out by believing others are better than you or, at the very least, thinking you aren’t good enough. More likely, you lose focus in the water, forgetting your form or neglecting your stroke or kick, which can lead to a loss of speed and potentially the race. It was telling when Ledecky got out of the water and talked about how she allowed herself some space for her mind to wander, reflecting on all the folks she trained with in Florida. Competitive swimmers know that the greatest risk they face in the water is allowing their minds to wander.
When we are focused on a task, distractions can be a significant challenge. They can prevent us from completing the task or simply delay it. Distractions almost always interfere with our efforts and the quality of the final product. We often label our lapses in attention as ADD—regardless of whether we have a medical diagnosis to support that label. While some people do suffer from attention deficit disorder, others may simply have never learned or have forgotten how to maintain focus. Paying attention is a skill that must be developed and practiced.
This year, we have introduced a new curriculum at ADS to help children develop intentionality and practice paying attention. On Mondays, a volunteer who has been trained in the MindUp curriculum spends some time with the four- and five-year-old classes at ADS to talk about being kind and compassionate with one another. One of the fundamentals in growing compassion is learning to be intentional by staying focused and attending to the environment. The children practice listening to the sound of a bell even after it is no longer vibrating, or being as still and quiet as they can for ten to fifteen seconds, listening intently to all the sounds around them. Though simple in scope, the children must learn what it means to sit still and how to listen. They also learn to recognize various sounds—they know a baby crying but are not yet familiar with the hum of an air conditioner. It is challenging for them to be still and listen, but they are open and amenable to the activities.
There are a lot of external distractions in the world. I bet there are even more internal distractions in our minds. Learning to be still and find focus can be challenging and maintaining that focus is almost impossible—just ask Katie Ledecky. There are times when the creative mind needs space to wander and be distracted; there are also times when the mind needs to settle and focus. That kind
of attentiveness may or may not win you gold medals at the Olympics, but it will improve your spiritual life. When we reduce the distractions of the world and our inner voice, we can hear God’s call to us with a clarity we cannot achieve in any other way.
Be still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)
Light and Life
Candice+