In this time of being thankful, and in close connection with what I wrote yesterday, I see now that a habit of gratitude has a sister: a habit of noticing.
(Sidenote: my current take on noticing is that it’s a way of pulling off the abstractions that cover my attention like a film, freeing me to focus on what’s really there.)
Looking, listening, attending. These carve out space for appreciation; it’s hard for me to appreciate something I’m unaware of.
On my walk early this morning I looked up and noticed to my surprise that stars twinkle.
I once knew this, of course, but somewhere along the way I apparently stopped paying attention to the stars and replaced my mental model of the night sky with a static, dead husk.
Reminder to self: Look! Observe! Get out of your head! Abstractions are useful in their place but don’t forget to pay attention to the delicious, detailed, vibrant mess of reality around you.