Living Deliberately

by Ed Hays on Jul. 16, 2009

Living Deliberately
Henry David Thoreau said that the reason he went off to live alone in a small hut near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts, was “to live deliberately.”

Thoreau provides us with a marvelous compass for how to experience this July day, or any day, by living it deliberately. This calculated living begins at sunrise with the deliberate intention to absorb every crumb of the day or as Thoreau said, “I wanted to live deep and suck all the marrow out of life…to know it by experience.” Few of us live this way. Instead, we allow ourselves to be swept along by a tidal wave of activities that result in accidental, inadvertent living. Sadly, we are trapped inside our heads. The escape route out of this half-living is to become a master criminal. Courts make judgments about whether an offense is a deliberate act, i.e., intentionally calculated and premeditated, and therefore more severely punished than those committed on impulse. Premeditate how you will cleverly pilfer all the delights, pleasures, and life out of this day by living it deliberately.

Shock me out of shallow living,
to deliberately commit myself
to dive deep inside this gifted day,
tasting, sensing each of its gifts.

From A Book of Wonders by Ed Hays

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Prayer action suggestion:
Call yourself to mindfulness throughout the day as a means to live deliberately. Set the alarm on your cell phone, or send yourself email reminders, to call you to deliberate living.

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Thanks

Submitted by Duane Pribula (not verified) on Jul. 18, 2009.

Thanks

Fr. Hays must be getting

Submitted by Mary O'd (not verified) on Jul. 18, 2009.

Fr. Hays must be getting tired. Exactly what does this mean? I am one of the lucky ones, so far, enough to eat, covered with respectable cloth, but those that have lost their jobs, their homes, their children's pets and security, please explain deliberate living. Go into the woods, plant a garden, good for you single man, Thoreau, explain this to a father that lost his job.

I watch the birds play in my bird feeder. I watch my dogs and cats sleep, play, prowl. I sit quietly and pray for a long list of people that have to scramble today to care for humans that count on them. Good for me. What about them? I will tell them to live deliberatly.

Fr. Ed, Thank you for the

Submitted by Bob Uhl (not verified) on Jul. 18, 2009.

Fr. Ed,
Thank you for the reminder to be mindful today and everyday. When I enter the moment I am able to discover how miraculous is our being and the being of God's creation. His presence is everywhere. Breathing deeply I can say thank you my Creator.

Dear Father Hayes, Thank you

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Jul. 18, 2009.

Dear Father Hayes,

Thank you for your weekly e-mail, link, psalm, reflections. They have been so useful for me. I find few (if any) other weekly sources that work for me

Thanks.

Very strong and effective

Submitted by Maggie Harrison Mangan (not verified) on Jul. 18, 2009.

Very strong and effective guidance! Thank you, Father Hays.

I needed this today! Thank

Submitted by Mary K (not verified) on Jul. 19, 2009.

I needed this today! Thank you for reminding us to be awake, alert and aware to the gifts in each day.

His beautiful reflection

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Jul. 20, 2009.

His beautiful reflection reminded me of a prayer I keep on the windowsill over my kitchen sink.....LORD, let me not miss the beauty in this day. Amen!
Thanks for the words of wisdom.

Dear Mary, Wouldn't living

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Jul. 21, 2009.

Dear Mary, Wouldn't living in a deliberate way require each of us to DO SOMETHING about unemployed or under-employed neighbors, parishoners, friends and relatives? If we all acted deliberately and thoughtfully according to what we believe and what we have to share, would there not be enough for each person? If we all lived deliberately none of us would feel guilty while we count our blessings and pray for those in need.

I would like to ask about Ave

Submitted by Alicia (not verified) on Jul. 23, 2009.

I would like to ask about Ave Maria University as I do not know which columnist to ask. Is it a very conservative university, populated by SSPX and/or Legion of Christ priests/theologian teachers, is that the kind Tom Monoghan (founder)likes? Does he forbid any women to teach theology to the seminarians, is it like that? If so why does a man whose mother loaned him the money to start his pizza empire and who has daughters have such attitudes towards women? Does anyone know about his city and the university? Is it a seminary to prepare priests? Can NCR please do a write-up about it (sorry if I missed a previous look at it in NCR if this has been all ready done,) Thank you for your great articles NCR.

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