Tuesday, February 07, 2006

Appreciating the ordinary

Here's another excerpt from Five Good Minutes by Jeffrey Brantley and Wendy Millstine:
Our everyday routines can get drab. If you watch enough television, it can appear as though everyone is having the time of their lives, a lifetime full of one adventure after another. This exercise is about finding the miraculous in daily life, searching for the unique in the mundane, or imagining the unimaginable. Today, take five minutes to observe the less noticeable things in the morning:

* the sound of baby birds chirping just outside your window
* the wind rustling through the trees
* the smile on a baby's face

Find fascination in something that others might shrug off. Look at the world with new eyes. Take notice of the little things. Life is brimming over with wondrous and spectacular happenings right under your nose. You simply need to open yourself to the precious moments that can provide insight and perspective throughout the rest of your day.

You might try identifying one thing or one category of things that you reliably appreciate when you notice it and then train yourself to notice that thing regularly. I know that my animals serve that function with me. I appreciate them no matter what - every single day. Opening my eyes to their reality helps me open my eyes to other ordinary aspects of my life.

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