“Rather than going for the high moment of drama, the high moment of the erotic, the high moment of the extraordinary, poetry will choose the small moment of pause just to look at what’s really happening, to look at a few layers deep and to let that small pause, that ordinary moment, open up with all the fullness of its being to us.”
Pádraig Ó Tuama
Each day, we move through a landscape threaded with “streams of timelessness” — portals that transport us to a quality of aliveness that is quieting and yet bubbling with vitality. On Being guest James Prosek finds his entry through fly fishing. Even if you’ve never cast a line yourself, you may recognize this stream as James describes it in this week’s offering, in how it washes all else away. Here are just some of the ways it’s entered by a few of the humans behind The Summer of The Pause:
Our editor, Amy, slips in through the familiar gait of a long run along the Mississippi River, a stillness inhabited through motion. Lilian, our art director, finds it in her ritual of brewing coffee — the smells, sounds, precision of measurement, and literal flow pauses everything around her. And our production assistant, Kayla, discovers this in reading as the lines between reality and fiction melt away and subconscious worries find ease through a fresh plot line and pacing.
Whether your own entry is an accidental stumble or a disciplined step, may it carry you to a source that replenishes, and returns you to the fullness of your being.
Generative Question
Inspired by James Prosek
What activity gives you the sense of “standing in a stream of timelessness”? |
However you experience this in summer months — as a hobby, a ritual, a project — invite us in with a short video or photo. If you’re on Instagram, post a glimpse into your world — mentioning @onbeing and using #StreamOfTimelessness.
Then meet us on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter next week, where we’ll share back some of these moments.
