Stop ! Notice ! And Feel !
Sunday, July 17, 2016
“I felt
my lungs inflate with the onrush of scenery—air, mountains, trees, people. I
thought, "This is what it is to be happy.”
Sylvia
Plath
My inspiration for this blog post is the photo above. Shot
at a movie premier, it shows fans jostling to welcome their favorite
celebrities and trying to capture the moment in their devices. However, an
elderly woman is seen standing right there, oblivious to the rest, actually
living the moment and making a memory. The photo went viral with everyone
praising her approach.
Do you like watching TV while eating? If so, you might have
noticed something. Sometimes you can eat without even tasting the food. This
applies to various things in our lives: we can spend hours sitting with a
friend without really interacting. We can visit a park, and not really notice
the things around us. I feel like we are less focused - less 'into'
things, as one may put it. We are simply distracted !
Stop, notice, and feel what you are doing in the moment. Be more mindful of the present, instead of keeping the
past and the future in mind. Realistically speaking, it could be hard to
practice this throughout the day, but being perfect isn’t the point. Stop and
do it once awhile, at different parts of the day, and just notice the little
things. And savor them.
Remember how everything thrilled us as a child. Everything
was new and we were just discovering the world - the taste of food felt as if
it was dancing on the taste buds. Next time you sit down for lunch, don't do
anything but 'savor' it. Don't read or watch TV or anything else that you are
used to doing while eating. Just feel the food while eating it. Experience for
real its smell, its texture, its temperature and the multiple flavors it
reveals in your mouth. Try it while eating something that you really like (ice
cream or chocolates, for me!) So, stop ! notice ! feel !
This is one reason why I personally prefer reading
paper books over e-books. That feeling of your fingertips running through
the roughness of the paper and oh the smell of the books - it is absolutely
magical.
The next time, you are with a person (physically with
someone, not virtually as on the internet), whether it is someone you are close
to, or a colleague at work, stop and put down anything else you are doing,
clear aside everything (including your head of random thoughts), and take a few
minutes to actually make a live conversation. Put your cell down, stop
playing with your watch, put off any mental flights your mind desires to
catch. Give your own words a close ear, be all ears to what the other
person has to say; appreciate them and understand them. Just be with that
person, fully; you might find a friend in him or her. It might just amaze you.
Savor the little things in life. Pay attention and focus ! Stop ! Notice ! Feel
!
Next time, if you are taking a walk home or to work, or if
you are taking a stroll in a park, take some time to look around. Feel the
incredible beauty and simplicity and also the complexity of nature. Notice the
living creatures - birds in the sky, plants and trees, and even insects. Listen
to the sound - the sound of the nature. Unplug your ears clogged due to music!
Notice the elements – water or rain, air and wind, the earth, the sun or the
moon or the stars.
How long has it been that you looked up at the sky? I
remember I used to look up quite often as a child; whether it was to search for
airplanes, or to catch a falling star in the night sky, but looking up at the
sky used to be an enchanting experience. I hardly ever do that anymore. Do you?
When was the last time you noticed birds in the sky or heard
them chirping? Where have all the birds gone? When was the last time you
actually inhaled and smelled the morning air? We don't stop, notice or feel. We
are too engrossed in what we call 'our lives'.
Next time, you take a shower, try not to play out all
the day's stories in your head at that time. Just feel the shower itself; the
feeling of the water beating your skin. Don't think how the day at work went or
how a certain situation could have been handled more effectively. Stop !
Notice ! Feel !
This practice could be extended to a million other things.
If you are able to stop, notice and really feel these things, life could be
more fascinating and it wouldn't pass you by as quickly as it normally does.
Here's to stopping, noticing and feeling the little things
in life !!!
7 comments
very well written! much appreciated!
ReplyDeleteBumped into your blog as a pleasant coincidence. Brilliant piece :)
ReplyDeleteAmazing yar. You right so well. It's a treasure, your blog.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading this; the funny thing is my father sent me a list of unhealthy things to avoid and one of them was watching tv while eating (I do that a lot) - and now reason this on top of it is making me think it's a sign! But test stopping, nothing, feeling is important - it's also an excercise in gratitude!
ReplyDeleteHehe share the list with me...I might pick something too that I should avoid. And you're also in the habit of playing with your phone while eating..so, it applies to both TV and phone ;) and thanks for reading xx
DeleteIt's such a beautiful message.
ReplyDeleteThis is the essence of the life too.
May we learn to live the moment!
👏👏😊😊
Yes! Life would be more interesting and fascinating if we pick on this rule :) thank you for reading, sir!
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