Awareness

Hey there!

Hope you have been well and looking out for inspiration.

One thing I am looking to improve at the moment is my awareness.There are are many beautiful and inspiring things around us and I want to make sure I am taking in as many of them as I can on my journey.

All of us seem to have very busy lives these days,  but this is largely by choice.The choices we make in life control how busy we are and how much free time we have.We have control over this situation.

Even if we have filled up our days to the brim with commitments,  it is still possible to find time to take in all the wonderful things around us.What we need to master is finding some space in our mind for the amazing and the inspirational.Things that make us feel good!

For example,  you may be walking to the station on your way to work worrying about a job you didn't get finished yesterday or the pile of jobs sitting in your intray awaiting your arrival.You may see a beautiful garden,  a neighbour of yours has painstakingly created.

 Instead of walking past as normal taking no notice of your surroundings,  try taking in the colour and the beauty of this garden for a split second and clear your mind of your work worries momentarily. I'm sure you'll fell a lot better for it!

Or if your crossing town for a meeting,  how about instead of taking your normal route through the concrete jungle, detour via some public gardens or down a graffiti art painted laneway. Admire the beauty and creativity around you for that part of the journey.Even watching a bird in flight can be an interesting and inspiring experience and the good part is that you can fit these things in to your normal routine.

I believe meditation can help by getting you into a relaxed state where you can really break out from your  highly programmed thought patterns and help you connect with your surroundings.

I am currently at the beginning phase of getting into meditation.It has been a lot harder than I had anticipated clearing my mind of thought and getting it to revitalise. It is definitely a skill, but I believe persistence will pay off and I will be much better off for the experience.

One of my favourite stories about awareness involves a family get together and my mother in particular.

My son James,  had not long completed a University Degree in Graphic design (virtually crawling to the line in the end) when he informed me he was going to join the army.

I was pleased with this decision as he would have to learn to get up early and also keep his room clean and tidy. A couple of things he had been avoiding for a long period of time.

James passed all the physical and aptitude testing and time soon came when we were invited to his induction into the army by the Defence Forces personnel which was to be held in the city.

We were very proud of James and my wife, my daughter and my mother all accepted the invitation to attend James' army induction ceremony.

James left the house at around 6.am (in a suit and tie with his bags packed) on the morning of his induction and was in the care of the army from that point on.We arrived in town about 10.30 am for a briefing and ceremony.There were to be speeches from army personnel, followed by a short film on army life and concluded with some food and refreshments and the chance to farewell our son before he was to head off for 3 months of intense recruit training.

As I mentioned before we were all very proud of James and none more than his grandmother (my mother) who ha had a special bond with him all his life.

Once the speeches and film had concluded we all raced over to James to congratulate him and get some photos of the occasion.After a short time I realised his grandmother wasn't with us and wondered where she was.

We looked around and saw her in conversation with another young lad in the corner.We thought it odd her not being with us because of how close she was to James,  but figured she must have known this boy from somewhere.

When my mother finally came across to us after finishing chatting to this boy we found out the real story:

After the movie, the new recruits lined up at the front of room and the families were then allowed to move across to meet them. My mother who was observing the scene (using her awareness) realised that one of the boys (a complete stranger to her) at the end of the row had no family with him and was standing alone.

She went over to befriend him so that he wouldn't feel alone and sad about having no one there for him.The rest of us were oblivious to this and had raced over to James at the first opportunity, not having eyes or concern for anyone else.

It turned out this lad Robert, as my mother had found out,  was from the country and his family had been unable to make the 5 hour trip down to see him off.

I was amazed by my mothers sharp observation and awareness skills!Her kind and loving nature of course we were all very familiar with.I was truly inspired by her and this memory is something that will always stay with me.

Having good awareness and a kind nature is something well worth striving for in my opinion and can only enhance our life experiences.

I hope you enjoyed this story, I wish you all the best and look forward to catching up again soon!

Cheers


The Inspirator