AWARENESS

How many times must a man look up before he sees the sky.

- Bob Dylan (Blowin' in the Wind)

Have you ever noticed when you're thinking about buying a particular car, you start seeing it everywhere you go? Obviously, there's not suddenly a lot more of that type of car on the road. You just become aware of it.

We see what we focus on. We notice what's on our mind. Everything we need is right in front of us. All we have to do is notice it.

As always, it works two ways (there's that ol' yin and yang again). If you focus on negative things, that's what you see. If you focus on the bad things people do, you start to not see the good things they do.

The obvious key to being aware is to still your mind. When your mind is preoccupied, it can't see what's right in front of it (it's like texting while driving). You need to quiet your mind and be in the moment.

Try this exercise sometime: Find a place that you regularly drive past. A neighborhood block. An area of downtown. A park. A place where you can park your car, get out and walk. As you walk along the same path you've raced past everyday, you will notice untold treasures and wonders that were there all along... you just weren't aware of them.

Stop what you're doing. Let your thoughts go. Take three deep breaths and slow down. Now take a look around. What do you see? What do you hear? Notice the details. The smells. The sounds. Take it all in. Don't look for things. Don't have an agenda. Let it reveal itself to you.

You'll be amazed at what the world has to show you if you just let it.

The Master observes the world

But trusts his inner vision.

He allows things to come and go.

His heart is open as the sky. (v.12)