Laura DeVries

This month, we're thinking about thanks... especially for those who support nonprofits in their important work. It's time to think outside the box about stewardship. 

A few times a day, my Apple watch reminds me to breathe.  Like many, I googled this feature when I started receiving these notifications at the most inconvenient times. Before I can hit dismiss, my watch steals my attention and I am momentarily captured as the animated flower fills the tiny screen and slowly expands and contracts.

“Mind the gap” echoed through the colorfully tiled RATP Metro as I stepped from the platform to the train on a journey from Paris to Geneva.  My focus briefly diverted from the excitement and joy of the journey to the necessary caution ahead me.  Each time the train door opened,  the same voice reminded me to mind the gap in several languages.  I recall glancing at the gap at my first stop, being amused as passengers stepped over it at the second, and growing deaf to it by the third, as my focus shifted to the exciting journey ahead of me…