Selective Attention

I consider how, when we learn something new–like a new word or concept–we suddenly seem to encounter it everywhere.

We have what scientists call “selective attention.”

When I focused on my love of verbs like grapple or fritter, I would hear or see these verbs several times a day, as if my love of them somehow generated them.

They were there whether I perceived them or not; I simply encountered them on the day they stayed fresh in my mind.

I think about this seven year journey into mystery and beauty, of whimsy and joy, of finding spiritual allegories in everything. I have selective attention.

The brain observes what it has just learned and what it’s focused on, so I keep beauty fresh, new, and near. I keep Jesus tight to my mind.