Gratitude and Attention

Now is when beauty shows up

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Even in its drooping last moments, the cactus flower was stunning. I had noticed it in full bloom the day before but didn’t have my camera; now it was too late. I felt bereft and irritated with myself for not being prepared, for not going back to get my camera when the bloom was in it’s glory. A moment of beauty, not just missed but tossed aside as if it would always be there.

Then I noticed there were three other buds and determined that I would be there for them, prepared. Days began to pass and the gloom of the coastal fog did not entice the buds. 7 days … 14 days … each day I examined the buds, speaking to them, noticing their slow progress. In week three, the bud stems began to lengthen but remained firmly closed. Solstice came with more sunshine, more warmth and I stopped twice a day, noticing each tiny change, anticipating the coming blossom. However, I had an upcoming trip and feared that one, or maybe all three of the buds, might possibly bloom while I was gone.

The day before I was supposed to leave, I went out, without my camera, again expecting nothing but a bud, and there it was: from bud to full bloom over night. This time, I immediately turned around and went back for my camera and luxuriated in having time to explore the exotic beauty from every angle. Later, one shot went into my Photoshop darkroom where I leisurely played with it until it became the image below.

I don’t know if I will get to see the other buds blossom, however, paying attention has given me this moment and that is enough to fill my cells with gladness.

Excerpt from the 26-week journal: gratitude mojo … your transformation journey for a better life. (Free pdf for paid subscribers.)

Creating Savoring Rituals - Savoring is the capacity to notice, appreciate, enhance, and prolong the positive experiences in life, with deliberate attention to and awareness of positive emotions. Increased awareness of pleasurable sensations lies at the very heart of savoring; when time is taken to notice and enjoy pleasant experiences, not only can we recognize positive emotions, but we can also more fully appreciate them. 

Consistently noticing and extending small, everyday positive moments can have a significant effect on happiness, resilience, well-being, and overall life satisfaction. Subjective well-being is not likely to be significantly improved by noticing only truly extraordinary positive events, which are often, by nature, rare and sporadic. Indeed, the frequency of positive experiences is a much better predictor of happiness than the intensity of those experiences.

Being fully present in the moment is the basis of mindfulness.

Source: 3 Gratitude Exercises for Helping Professionals, by Elaine Houston and Hugo Alberts and offered free at PositivePsychology.com

Attention Exercise … give yourself the gift of 3 minutes of beauty.