Claim Desire

Practice of the Week
Claim Desire

Category: Slogans to Live By: Carry these reminders at all times. These practices don't require setting aside a separate substantial chunk of time -- but they will slow you down a bit (and that's a good thing.) Resolve to get stronger at living by these maxims, day by day. Sometimes make one of them the focus of your daily journaling.

What do you want? What do you desire that has been missing from your day? It's possible to not know. It's possible that there isn't anything other than the alarm clock that pushes you into your day.

This week -- for each of the seven days of the week -- take 10 minutes at the beginning of your day (or at bedtime the night before), to identify one thing you want out of the coming (or next) day. In the midst of all the obligations ahead of you, what one desire do you want to make room for in the day ahead? In selecting a desire for the day, keep in mind these two guidelines:

• Keep it simple. Identify a desire that could really be satisfied in the course of one day. (Rome wasn't built in a day, so don't list "build Rome" as what you want to get out of a day.) Maybe it is nothing more than to feel the sun on your face for five minutes. Maybe it is to connect and cook tonight's meal with your daughter. Maybe it is to read for 30 minutes, or go running, or sit in stillness and silence for 20 minutes.
• Pick something that requires some intentional energy to make happen. Don't pick "brush teeth" if you always and habitually brush your teeth every day. Pick something that hasn't been usual for you -- but maybe you'd like it to become usual.

You can pick the same thing for all seven days, pick something different each day, or anything in between.

For Journaling

Write about what desire you claimed each day, and what effect this had on the excitement with which you woke up each day.

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