What unacknowledged blessings and beauties are right before your eyes?
What is the good of our stars and trees, our sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives?
— E. M. Forster
It was only yesterday that I once again rejoiced over my working-from-home status. And yet today I’ve had a change of heart. Let me explain…
Yesterday…
You see, yesterday I went for an early (very early) morning walk. And while an endless straggle of “let’s get this over with” exercisers numbly plodded by, I was quietly mesmerized by the landscape, the burbling of a nearby fountain, the ringed ripples rolling ’cross the lake, the twisted beauty of the peeled Eucalyptus bark. And I reveled in the simple luxury of being able to linger along the path instead of feeling hemmed in by the commuter schedule I used to endure.
All in all, my wandering walk was an uplifting beginning to a busy, working-from-home day, a lovely interlude I would have missed had I been among the commuter crowd. Our blogging friend, Sarah of CowsFromMyWindow.com says it so intriguingly:
A few years ago I was browsing the website of expert “self-bosser” Valerie Young. She was describing the benefits of working from home; amongst other things, she delighted in the view of cows she had from her window. This image struck a chord with me. I had never liked the daily commute to an office: I used to feel like I was returning to prison after a weekend release for good behaviour! I realised I wanted to live a more independent life, with greater freedom to choose what I did each day. When the time came to name my own business, Cows from my window seemed the natural choice.
I currently live in Beijing, and look out on a traditional Chinese courtyard – complete with grey sloping roof tiles and draping vines. However when I think of what my new life means to me, the feeling of freedom that cow field evokes still comes to mind.
[Note from Ellie to our Good Readers – if you are currently transitioning from one occupation to another – for excellent advice and counsel be sure to visit Sarah’s website/blog www.cowsfrommywindow.com/blog ]
Today…
But my today was a different story: with three off-site meetings on the agenda, I reluctantly became a commuter out on the highway at 0’Dark hundred and again in the evening Drive-Time Parade.
And I witnessed the most spectacular sunrise and sunset I’ve ever seen! The panorama from the unavoidably traffic-clogged highway was amazing! Glorious mountains, silhouetted trees, BIG SKY, ominous clouds pierced by glowing sun-rays – what a visual treat! How had I forgotten about this ever-changing and daily happening?? I remember (now) how much I enjoyed this particular commute… winter-snow capped mountains in the distance, spring-green rolling hills on either side, the blue skies of summer… the dappled reds of fall… All forgotten in the haze of my negative, traffic-snarled memories.
Experiment with Openness…
So this evening, I realize, once again, that although I am surrounded by blessings and beauty, I’m failing to notice these bounties because I’ve become attached to some silly prejudice like “I hate commuting.” Too often I fail to see and appreciate all the everyday things that grace my field of vision. And while there is a certain survival benefit to being on “auto pilot”, to closing my mind to distractions, to being focused and task-oriented, still, what a joy to, once in a while, turn-off the cruise control and pay attention to the reality that “God hides by putting it all around us.”
One of the stops I made on my way home this evening (I try to be efficient by “clumping” my errands on the edges of my required outings…) was the local library. I picked up the book by author Barbara L. Fredrickson, Ph.D., Positivity
Fredrickson offers 12 tools to help you “discover, for yourself, what rouses genuine and heartfelt positivity.” Two of her tools include:
Tool 1: Be Open – Experiment with mindful awareness while carrying out your day… on your morning walk, rather than being lost in your ever-expanding mental to-do list, practice being open to the colors of the leaves and blooms, the call of nearby birds… the feel of the cool morning air against your skin… Being open means cultivating both curiosity about and acceptance of whatever you’re currently experiencing. Attend to what’s happening without trying or wishing for change … tell yourself, “it is what it is,” and simply observe… mindful awareness casts a wider, more accepting stance toward the present moment than is typical. Watch what feelings emerge as you experiment with openness.
Tool 6: Find Nearby Nature – When the weather is good, you need to be ready. Locate a dozen places you can get to in a matter of minutes that will connect you to green or blue, to trees, water, or sky. These have been shown to boost positivity. Make these places regular destinations…
These tools invite us to increase our positivity by taking time-out and noticing our surroundings, contemplating nearby beauty… and they even encourage us to seek out natural beauty and relish it, even if just for a moment. Doing so enriches our lives and makes us not just happier in the moment but happier in the long run. And that helps us manifest more beauty to appreciate. We can enrich our lives simply by paying attention! Amazing! What a payoff, what a deceptively easy task if we would but DO IT!
The Grand Show
John Muir says it eloquently:
The grand show is eternal. It is always sunrise somewhere; the dew is never dried all at once; a shower is forever falling; vapor is ever rising. Eternal sunrise, eternal dawn and gloaming, on sea and continents and islands, each in its turn, as the round earth rolls.
[Another note from Ellie – I seem to be full of opinions today – You can’t go wrong adding this destination to your Go-To list: John Muir Redwood Forest]
And so I conclude with several, certainly less eloquent, trite but true clichés – for me to use (along with “it is what it is”) as mantras to get me through the rough spots, wherever and whatever I’m doing:
- Take time to smell the roses…
- Look for the silver lining…
- Make lemonade of life’s lemons…
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