The Joyful Journey: The Art of Noticing
Welcome to The Joyful Journey
This is installment #2 in our series and is an expansion of the previous meditation on finding simple joys found in The Joyful Journey #1.
If your prefer to listen to the Joyful Journey, click the play button below!
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Part 2: The Art of Noticing
The youngest member of our community sits around the fire warming her hands with a smile
A steamy, warm cup of chai served with love by our dedicated kitchen staff
This is not to suggest that we ignore the large, difficult, or disturbing aspects of life.
Instead, it's an invitation to reflect on where we are directing our attention, to expand our attention to the moments within our day which can bring us happiness – or even just a temporary release from our struggles – when we pause to notice them.
Too often our attention is so occupied by what we are mulling over in our heads that these moments of happiness are obscured. They arise and then slip away unnoticed, taking their gifts with them.
To begin to notice them, we can start small. Consider the act of drinking tea. At Jhamtse, we take great joy in our morning tea break! As we hold the warm cups in our hands, we feel their smooth texture. We inhale the fragrant aroma, sip and savor the rich flavors, and as we swallow, we notice the warmth spreading through our bodies.
Can we decide to gently turn our attention to one other thing in our days that could offer us happiness, and take just a few seconds to truly connect with it, using all of our senses? This could be a cold drink of water, or our first bite of dinner. It might be pausing to notice the clouds, or the way the sun creates long shadows at either end of the day. Maybe you hear a song you love, maybe you sing along. At Jhamtse, sometimes cows just walk through campus in a line, their bells tinkling.
We may find that paying attention reveals the extraordinary within the ordinary.
Students chatting as they clean dishes as part of their kitchen duty