The Patterns We Practice
Consciously or unconsciously, we repeat things—stories, routines, habits—and these patterns we practice fascinate me.
Drone Footage and Video by Bobby Perry, 1972
For me, a labyrinth is a pattern that encourages reflection on my repetitive thoughts. What stories am I retelling? What habits am I building? Another blind spot seems to be just beyond the next twist in the path. Even a dim awareness of a pattern grants me the courage to encourage or discourage it.
My neighbor Bobby set up his drone one afternoon while I dug out the path walls to outline them in gray pavers. It wasn’t until I saw his footage from 450 feet up that I really grasped the macro effect of the patterns I practice.
The Patterns We Practice
Photo Credit: Bobby Perry
Unmoored from a lifetime of practices, what patterns have been destroyed? What new patterns would you like to create?
Use this moment to build something foundational.
CREATE A RADICAL RITUAL: STEP BACK OR ZOOM OUT FROM A PROBLEM, CONCEPT, OR IDEA TO SEEK A BROADER PERSPECTIVE.
The hawk’s-eye view also explains why helicopters have started looping to take a second pass overhead!
Simple awareness of the patterns we practice encourages a second look. And with perspective, we get to choose the next small step.
And speaking of small steps, the first Saturday in May is World Labyrinth Day, where people all over the world Walk as One at 1. Use their labyrinth locator to find one near you or print one to trace with your fingers, then join thousands in walking on May 2nd, at 1 PM in your local time zone.
I’ll be walking in my front yard, practicing one of the creative patterns that brings me serenity.
Zooming Out to See the Broader Perspective
Photo Credit: Bobby Perry