
We are all surrounded by 24/7 global media with the complex difficulties of life from around the world and around the corner. We worry about the election, we worry about our physical and emotional health and the health of our loved ones, we worry about our future and our past and rarely are we in the present.
Many of us live in a state of anxiety with activated physical symptoms of faster heart rates, insomnia or interrupted sleep, nightmares, and heightened vigilance. Sustaining this is exhausting and debilitating. Finding a small kernel of wonder to provide a moment of comfort can offer a break from the profound challenges we face daily. If we waited for “the right time” to appreciate what is around us these joys will pass us by and we won’t have seen or appreciated them.
The past 2 weeks in New England we’ve been treated to some of the most glorious colorful foliage; have you noticed the deep reds, the vibrant oranges, the serene golden glows of the trees? I’m not suggesting that observing autumnal leaves fixes all that is concerning in your world; I am suggesting that focusing your attention on the beauty around you can offer that bit of brightness for a moment. That moment that can give you a breather from the chaos and struggles and you may find yourself with a smile or a lightness or lifting of your spirits.
Observe what is around you. I found one of those moments recently on Route 128. This is a highway that often provokes more traffic frustration and swearing than delight but lining the Route was an avenue of trees in full technicolor splendor. I smile even now as I think of it.
Practicing how to notice each day won’t create a new and better world but it can offer an interlude of quiet wonder.
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