8:08 on 8/08

In my journal I usually record the day & time I write. This habit helps me recall what I was doing when the time of day and the date converge. The original inspiration for paying more attention to that convergence goes back to Joni Mitchell's liner notes from her 1979 recording called "Mingus".  In those notes she mentions Charles Mingus was 56 when he died and 56 sperm whales were beached on a Mexican coastline on the day he died. I recall thinking at the time it couldn't hurt if I started paying a little more attention to what Mitchell calls "...coincidences that thrill the imagination...". How much attention do you pay to these things?

For example, what were you doing at 8:08 a.m. today (i.e. 8/08)? I was just finishing a morning bike ride and preparing to get lunches ready at Meals on Wheels. If you don't remember what you were doing, no problem; 8:08 p.m. is still in front of you. At 8:08 p.m. today, I'm not 100% sure what I'll be up to but the likelihood is pretty good I'll either be reading (current fiction = Madame Bovary; non-fiction = an anthology called Great Conversations) or playing my guitar. What about you? Or, start tomorrow at 8:09 a.m.

There are so many of these wonderful coincidences around us each day. A nice by-product of paying more attention could be an inspiration one of us might get for a poem, a painting, a song. At minimum, just paying more attention helps us be more fully present. On many days, that's enough for me.