Messages are all around us.
Life continually gives us feedback. We all recognize, even if we don’t heed, everyday feedback. This can take a negative form—indigestion after an ill-chosen meal, sunburn when we don’t use sunscreen, or financial loss when we make a poor financial choice. It also presents positively—feeling energized after exercise, receiving glowing feedback for our job performance, or the purr of a contented cat when we pet it correctly.
Existence also provides more subtle clues—seeing a favored bird or animal when we have a significant thought or idea, a feeling of well-being when we eat a healthy meal, lyrics to a song heard on the radio that exemplify a current situation. Such signs may be harder to recognize and easier to ignore. but nonetheless they also occur regularly.
When we pay attention to all the feedback we receive, life is easier. This level of attention requires us to think less and feel more. Getting out of our heads and into our hearts, which is facilitated by a contemplative practice like prayer, bodily awareness exercises, or meditation, increases our ability to perceive life’s clues.
Today’s message invites me to pay closer attention to all that goes on around and in me. By analyzing less and sensing more, I strengthen my capacity to benefit from life’s hints.
Please reflect and share. How aware are you of life’s subtle messages?