Listening on the Final Morning of November

There were times this year when we were not sure we would make it to the final morning of November.

This year has threatened to overwhelm many of us. We have pushed through, over, and around obstacles this year. Some of us have survived the loss of people we love. Many of us have persisted in the face of losing dreams we worked hard to try to fulfill. We may have lost jobs we sacrificed to get or friendships we struggled to find.

It has been an unexpectedly long, hard year. It has been a year of illness and death, of storms, inflation, and war. Some of us waited in line for hours to buy groceries or to hear welcome news.

The last year has been one of challenging days for week after week, month after month.

Now, finally, we have persisted long enough to arrive at the final morning of November.

Some of us have been eager to wake up on this November morning because it means this wretched year is almost over.

Others of us enjoy November because we appreciate being under the blankets, rolling over to go back to sleep. A November morning may be our signal to begin hibernating for the winter.

This was not the November we hoped for a year ago.

Many of us are already choosing to shop online instead of in person. We might decide to spend our holidays by ourselves instead of gathering together to celebrate, perhaps because we have no other choice.

This November morning has the potential to be the continuation of a more contemplative practice for us.

Today might be the first step, this morning, into a new way of living into December.

Paying Attention to This November Morning

Each morning has a voice of its own, its own song to sing and its own story to tell.

Our contemplative practice is about taking time to listen, to pay attention, to what this morning has to share with us.

This morning wants to tell us about hope and possibilities. Each morning has a story of beginning again to share with us. Even after months of struggling with difficulties we never expected, every morning has good news for us if we are ready to listen.

Each November morning tries to tell us about opportunities to make a fresh start. We may assume November and December are too late, there is not enough time for us to make a difference, to make progress. This final morning is trying to tell us otherwise.

Many of us find coffee or tea helps us listen well. We may prefer to get up before anyone else and listen to the morning on our own. It helps us to sit still, close our eyes, and breathe deeply.

The stillness of this November morning echoes in the world around us and within us. The stillness inside us is the same as the stillness around us. We sit and listen, allowing the sacred stillness to find its home in our lives.

Listening well can be difficult. Sometimes we need the help which comes from looking out the window or watching a fire in the fireplace.

It takes time for us to listen to a November morning well. There is a significant amount of stillness to hear. We cannot hear everything all at once. We need to take our time and practice being open to what each morning has to share with us.

When we listen to the stillness of the final morning of November, it can be easy for us to miss what is most significant.

Sitting in the Stillness of a Final Morning

Fortunately for us, it is not difficult for us to sit in the stillness of these mornings. Even on the mornings we would rather spend in bed, under the blankets, we can listen to what the morning has to tell us.

The stillness to which we listen is sacred. It is not sacred because we have worked so hard or sacrificed so much to listen well. In fact, the stillness of this December morning is sacred because it does not depend on our efforts.

the stillness to which we listen this morning is sacred because it is a gift. When we take time to stop and listen we can begin to hear spiritual life in the stillness.

We sit still and practice being open to the stillness of each new morning. Our practice is not about earning stronger spiritual life or becoming a better person.

When we sit listening to the stillness of each new morning, the stillness becomes sacred. We feel the power of the stillness to fill us and heal us as we sit still and practice being open.

Each morning we listen helps us be more open.

Savoring this Final Morning of November

A significant part of my contemplative listening practice is learning how not to pay attention to distractions.

My brain is good at reminding me of things to think about as I begin trying to listen to sacred stillness. I start to remember all the things I have forgotten, people I forgot to call or ideas I forgot to consider. When I start paying attention to my brain’s voice I realize I am not listening to stillness anymore.

It helps me to take time to listen to stillness as early on a November morning as I can. I practice being open and listening before I start working on other things.

The more I practice being open to the stillness of this morning, the better I can pay attention. It does not mean I never get distracted, it means I return more gently to listening to sacred stillness.

Each morning we sit still and become open to the sacred stillness within us and all around us.

How will we practice listening to the sacred stillness of this final morning of November?

When have we listened to the stillness of each November morning this month?

[Image by Steve M. Walker]

Greg Richardson is a spiritual director in Southern California. He is a recovering assistant district attorney and associate university professor and is a lay Oblate with New Camaldoli Hermitage near Big Sur, California. Greg’s website is http://StrategicMonk.com and his email address is StrategicMonk@gmail.com.