[janbear]

Today's Meditation:

You may be surprised at just how many great things are around us all the time. Sometimes we don't see them because we're in a hurry and we don't make time to see them. Sometimes we don't see them because we get so used to them that we start to take them for granted and we lose sight of them. We have some very beautiful pictures in our house, and I have to say that I don't usually see them because they're too familiar--every once in a while I'll notice one and stop and look at it, and ask myself why I don't see and recognize and appreciate its beauty every day. It's there for me every day, but I'm not open to its presence.

It makes me wonder how many other things I miss. The sad truth is that I'll never know, because I've missed them. It feels sometimes as if I've been given some wonderful gifts that I just walk right by, never opening them or even noticing them.

Slow down. Possibly the wisest words we'll hear in our lives. "But I can't," we say, "because of all the demands life puts on me." But then comes the question, "Just how pressing are these demands that we can't even take a few minutes to appreciate the world? If they're that pressing, are they truly worth it?"

We think we can see because our eyes work, because we've been seeing almost since the day we were born. But there's much more to seeing than having our eyes open.

Questions to consider:

Have you ever practiced something like seeing and noticing things?

What kinds of wonderful things are you missing right now?

What do you tell people when you see them missing or not appreciating wonderful things? Do you give yourself this same advice? Do you follow it?
For further thought:
One never knows what each day is going to bring.
The important thing is to be open and ready for it.