These days there are so many people and things vying for our attention -- family, friends, bosses, colleagues, customers, screens, the socials, work, to-dos, and more.
Seems like there's always something pulling at our attention and taking our focus here and there and here and there. Our attention gets zigzagged all over the place. We end up everywhere and nowhere. Our ability to pay attention and focus gets scattered and depleted.
As a result we end up missing out on so much.
We don't have the attention reserves we need to engage with the people and things we truly value.
We don't have the attention reserves to safely and soundly process all the information coming at us.
When this happens -- or better yet, before this happens-- we can make deposits in our attention account by getting out in nature.
We can reset our ability to embrace life more fully.
Simply by being mindful about our experience with nature.
And being mindful is just a matter of noticing something new.
Notice all that's going on. Because there's always something going on.
It may be flowers getting ready to bloom for the first time or mushrooms sprouting up overnight. It may be the fragrance of the earth after the rain. It may be the sound of the breeze in the trees. It may be the shapes of the clouds in the sky. It may be the feeling of sunshine as it warms your face. It may be the twinkling of the stars. It may be the chill of the air. It may be a bee frolicking in a flower.
Allow your senses to take it in all these extraordinary moments.
Allow yourself to be delighted by the beauty and wonder that is going on around you.
Drink it all in.
Nature offers us grounding. It offers us the opportunity to make abundant deposits in our attention accounts. It offers us the chance to reset our intention of paying attention. It offers us the ability to refocus so we can more safely dance with life.
To tap into all the gifts nature has for you all you have to do is get outside.
Allow yourself to be curious and awed by all the wonders going on.
You might look out a window and gaze softly at the trees. You might open a window to feel the breeze. You might step outside to feel the grass under your feet. You might go for a long walk in a park.
It might be a five minute attention reset or maybe an hour or longer. Just know that your paying attention account grows with regular deposits -- both large and small.
So why not create a habit of stepping away from the busy of your day and into the joy of being in nature?
You might just find it's easier to pay attention to the important people and things in life -- the people and things you truly value.
And you might just find yourself blessed with more and more extraordinary moments.