I want to notice more.

I want to notice everything around me more.

These are the words that Robin Wright’s character, Edee, uses in the movie Land, Wright’s extraordinary directorial debut.

Edee has suffered a devastating loss and goes to live in a remote mountain cabin to try to reclaim a life.

Her goal: To notice more.

Mine too.

I’m a productivity addict.

I plan everything.

I move at warp speed.

Not a moment wasted.

Meditation: Check.

Journaling: Check.

Aerobics: Check.

Core workout: Check.

Client work: Check.

Marketing: Check.

Date night: Check.

Noticing: Hmm. Not so much.

Noticing the oncoming dawn; the dew in the grass; the sparkles in the snow; the air in my lungs as I run across the land; the smell of the thawing earth; the texture of my food; the lilt in my daughter’s voice when she calls me in the morning; the stars in the sky; the moon on the ocean; the light in my lover’s hair.

All so easy to miss. To blow by.

Because…

Life flies by in a blur.

When you let it.

Unless you stop it.

Intentionally stop it.

And that’s hard. So hard.

When we were in the Himalayas for 3 weeks, we were off the grid. Completely off the grid.

It took herculean effort to pull out of the vortex.

To step away.

From the constant input.

The demands. The responsibilities.

The emails, text messages, notifications, and alerts.

The onslaught of the news.

The dopamine of input.

The siren song of social media.

All of it.

Hardwired. Habitual.

All of it.

Draining.

Draining my energy reserves.

Slowly chipping away at my wellbeing.

Slowly inuring me to real.

Until I saw that I needed to stop.

And so I did.

It wasn’t easy.

I love my work.

I cherish my connections with friends and family.

And… I knew that I needed to rest.

Recreate.

Heal.

So that I wouldn’t crash and burn.

So that I can continue to be ever more present.

So that I can continue to do the work I am called to do.

The Himalayas are the grandest mountain range on earth. Of staggering scale; and breathtaking beauty.

They have the capacity to stop you in your tracks.

Yet, of foreigner travelers, a Tibetan monk once said, “Many people come, looking, looking. No good. Some people come, see. Good.”

For a few precious weeks, I slowed down.

I saw.

I really saw.

Life is so fleeting. I don’t want to miss any of it.

I want to keep seeing.

I want to notice more.

You?