LESSON #3: ENJOY THE WONDERS OF THE WORLD!
This lesson from Grace is a bit of a culmination of the previous 2-lessons (expressing emotions and being present) as it takes both to truly enjoy the wondrous things that are around us all the time. I was talking with my coach the other day and just feeling really bogged down with the pain and suffering in the world. She said, “Heather, stop and look out the window. What do you see”? And with just that simple request I was able to notice the trees and the sky and begin to bring myself back to what was right in front of me.
That was my experience for 5 days hanging out with Grace. She fully embodies, “stop and look out the window”. This is why walking to the park took fooorrrrevverrr! She noticed everything and everything was amazing. The bugs. The rocks. The dirt. The chickens. The dude sitting in the grass that wanted nothing to do with her. The leaves. The clouds. I’ve taken that walk to the park hundreds of times, but I think I’ve finally seen it.
One of the days it was pretty hot so we decided that running in the sprinklers was in order. She was super excited to put on “MY PINK BATHING SUIT”!!! At first she was pretty timid about the sprinkler, she stood and watched it for awhile. Then, holding my hand, she would run just around the edges. Within minutes she was running and jumping, laughing and screaming joyfully. She was fully feeling, she was present, and she was enjoying the wonder of water flying in the air. And it was infectious. It didn’t take long for Auntie to be right there in it with her!
How would your life be different if you took the time to slow down and notice the beauty that surrounds you? Notice the little things, the big things, the mundane things, the exciting things.
Take Action! Choose something that has become really routine in your life (how you drive to work or walk your dogs or walk yourself, etc). Decide to “look out the window”. Notice the things around you? What do you see that you hadn’t notice before? How does this change in perspective impact you? What do you notice about how your are feeling or thinking?