An invitation to appreciation

© Jenn Shallvey

I want to share with you a practice I follow when I need to reground and reconnect to me being in the world in a positive way. There is no specific reference for what informs this way just an integration of years of playing with ideas. I do this mostly when out on a walk, but also sitting in places at home or out and about.

Ideally when I am by myself and in a place without distraction I sit and observe. I consider everything in my environment. Everything. I notice the little details as well as the way all comes together.  Then I allow more time and see where my attention takes me. I invite my awareness to play with the senses.  I notice what comes into my vision, what noises and sounds stand out more than others, smells and scents, the feel of the surface of where I walk, sit or stand.

If I am eating or drinking I can add in the experience of taste and notice the internal reactions.  I also notice my thoughts and feelings and how they are responding to the observations. I am observing my observing. It is interesting to notice.

One other aspect that I overlay is noticing movement, change, flow. For example staring up at clouds passing by I notice how they are moving, the shapes and speed.  Watching birds flying between trees and bushes. In a short spate of time so much movement occurs. Then I also notice what is not moving and stays static. The parked car, boulders, pavement, buildings etc.  The play between what is static and moving is also an opportunity for appreciation.

I say appreciation because that is the point of the exercise.

We can approach our observation experience from multiple states of being. We can be in a heightened emotional state, judgmental, filtering what we see with opinions. Or we can be neutral and unconditionally observing.

I practice the skill of ‘catching myself thinking’ and shifting my focus of attention on purpose.  For example I might have heard a story on the news or read something online that triggered an emotional response. I might then still be feeling the frustration when I sit to look around me.  If I am filtering through anger / frustration or other emotions I will see the world limited. So I know that I can choose to shift the way I see things. Not all but we are just talking about this exercise.

I stop and breathe.  I may even have to close my eyes for a few moments. I intentionally say to myself to let go of the judgements and opinions formed. I breathe out and release anything that is in my way. Again all this is done quickly and with intention. It is like a quick clearing and reset of energy. Then I breathe into my heart. I even smile. The conscious focus of being in my heart and breathing at a rhythmic calming pace brings me back to centre.  It is from this place that I do the observation. What a difference!

As I observe from a truly neutral heart centred place I see beauty, life, realness, diversity. I appreciate all. It is a magical way to let go of what can frustrate us. I know, another one of my ‘easier said than done’ ideas. I promise though that as you practice this on a regular basis it gets better.

It is like the first time I meditated. I worried whether I was doing it the right way which completely defeated the idea of meditation. Once I got over the expectations and then developed my own way to get into a place of focus I found enjoyment. I also learned over the years to accept the days I was in what I call ‘the zone’ and others when not. This is not a post about meditation so will park that aside. Just wanted to share a similar practice that takes time and is only enhanced more by letting go of expectations and personalisation.

Back to noticing with appreciation.

I invite you right now to stop what you are doing (after you finish reading). I invite you to put your phone or computer on silent/do not disturb. I invite you to sit, stand, walk and notice. Notice all around you. Just have fun noticing.  Then check in and notice your emotional state.

Next see if you can shift your state to a more neutral heart centred place. Then reengage your noticing of the world around you. What do you appreciate? How do you feel when you appreciate?  What brings a smile to your face and a feeling of love in your being?

This is why the practice of noticing for appreciation of so worth it.

Now imagine this. What if you did this every day. What if everyone else did too - your family, friends, neighbours, shopkeepers, transport providers, business leaders, politicians.

I know it’s a bit fanciful for me to imagine so many doing this. So I will simply start with me and then invite you. Maybe if at least you and I do a bit, our action will shift a bit of the energy around us.

It is then from this place of appreciation that we can be anchored, grounded and prepared to address the challenges in this world that take us out of this awareness. For I am also a practical and real person. Yet I wonder if we could meet each other in a different place of shared understanding these days by doing some appreciation work first.  Might make a slight or major difference? Who knows. Only you and me. Right?  So nothing to lose only to gain as they say. That is why I do this. Oh and you feel better too.