Intentionally Noticing.
Hi There,
At the beginning of this month, I had been struggling with emotional ambivalence while preparing for my trip to Munich, Germany. I’d been living in a new home for 11 months and my travel would mark my first nights away. Relishing all the springtime firsts revealed in my garden, I mourned the thought of missing a single flower’s debut.
After the wildly successful European C-IQ Collective Retreat, I returned to the Hudson Valley to experience two distinct homecomings. The first was awe, as I strolled the garden walkway toward our front door. It was as if I’d left behind an infant and returned a week later to a speaking 4-year old; the garden had transformed lavishly into something unrecognizable!
The second experience, one of sheer delight, occurred as I entered our dwelling. You see, the details of the home had recently been dulled to my senses due to hedonic adaptation. But after being away for a week, every element popped! The tranquility of the room I use for meditation, the light shining through the brilliantly appointed high windows, the distant view of the Hudson River— all soothed my soul! May it forever be so!
Reacquainting myself with “home” brought me back to my restaurant days. Every Friday evening before dinner service, I’d intentionally enter Goldie’s as if I’d never been there before. I walked through the bar, the dining rooms, and all of the public areas, with a stranger’s eye. My mission was to understand how guests might be experiencing the restaurant— a discipline that allowed me to present Goldie’s at its best.
Returning to the present, I actually journaled the words, “I’m delighting in my life!” I then began to wonder how I might extend this state of euphoria and stall hedonic adaptation.
The answer I’m committing to is to intentionally NOTICE. Practicing mindfulness, I now appreciate the coo of the mourning doves, and the occasional raucous buzz-by of the carpenter bee. The fragrance of the mugwort even had me giggling (For the uninformed, mugwort is an invasive weed). My reward for tirelessly pulling its tiny sprouts, inconspicuously intermingling with the intentional shrubs in our country garden, is its appealing aroma.
I feel a bit like Dorothy, finding happiness in my own backyard. And with “fresh eyes”, I can repeat this, time and time again.
So, I ask you: What beauty is hiding in plain sight in your world? What everyday sights, sounds and smells can you delight in? I invite you to move through your life with fresh eyes.
Cheers!
-Deborah
Deborah Goldstein
DRIVEN Professionals / Forbes / Linkedin
info@drivenpros.com | LinkedIn
DRIVEN Professionals, 35 Adrienne Lane, Garrison, NY 10524