Noticing
Noticing: present tense, the act of becoming aware, giving attention, observing, making known
In a world that encourages a constant grind and immense productivity, noticing is not exactly abundant. Before my engagement with mindfulness, my mind was only partially in the present moment. The rest of my mind was constantly figuring out what was next on my to-do list, analyzing what I had already done on my to-do list and deciding if it was all done well enough or if I needed to go back and make it better, and trying to figure out when my next moment of rest was because I was desperate for it.
Mindfulness is a more consistent part of my routine, and slowing down is much more common. Noticing isn’t a term I was familiar with until recently, but I appreciate everything it says.
There is never a moment when nothing is going on around us, but how often do we stop and notice what it is?
Birds chirping, a leaf falling, an airplane flying overhead, a small dandelion within the grass, a rock with a fossil in it, buds forming on trees and bushes, storm clouds brewing, rain falling into puddles on the ground, squirrels playing tag, a hawk circling overhead, the sunrise or sunset painting the sky, the grass turning green, flowers blooming, leaves changing.
The effects of looking up and noticing what’s around us are numerous. It helps ground us in the present moment, calm anxiety, enhance emotional attunement, increase body awareness to better understand the correlation between our body and our emotions, and give us more control over our reactions and responses to others.
It reminds our rapid, mothering mind that not everything is urgent, and that our nervous systems don’t need to be in constant fight/flight even when we're pulled in so many directions throughout the day.
As someone who used to be fully engulfed in the constant grind and productivity culture and has now transitioned to a much slower, simpler way of living, I have found much beauty and joy I had been missing. And now noticing them is helping me enjoy them.
So, next time you get the kids in the car and you shut their door. Or next time you finish the dishes, pause and look out the kitchen window. Take a deep breath, and just look up for a moment. What do you see? What do you hear? What do you notice?
