Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist
Week 9: "Cold Water" — Waking Up to the Present
Read the chapter "Cold Water" in Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist.
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Sometimes what we need is not more insight but a sudden, clarifying shock — the cold-water moment that wakes us up to what is actually in front of us.
Discussion Questions
6 questions1.Niequist describes moments of sudden clarity — a child's comment, a health scare, a conversation — that broke through the fog of her usual pace. Have you had a moment like that? What woke you up, and did it stick?
2.She writes about how easy it is to be physically present but mentally and emotionally absent — to be in the room but not in the moment. Where in your life are you most frequently absent while present?
3.Niequist talks about the way technology, in particular, fragments our attention and pulls us out of the present moment. What is your relationship with your phone or screens like? Is it something you are at peace with, or is there tension there?
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