What do you take for granted?
This was my first skydive since having shoulder replacement surgery on March 27th, 2017. I had a new appreciation for everything associated with the skydive. I noticed the drive to the drop zone (I haven't flow myself since one of my partners totalled our Bonanza!) I noticed the time to listen to an educational CD. (The elite educate, the average entertain themselves!) What I noticed most was the privilege that I have just to be able to do this. Here's what I paid attention to;
1. The airspace freedom that allows skydivers to share the airspace so close to John Wayne Airport.
2. That there is a skydiving facility within an hour of where I live.
3. That I can go there and get on an airplane for a skydive after not having jumped in 6 months.
4. That I can reach up and grab my steering lines to control the canopy without shoulder pain.
The entire process contained moments of noticing and appreciation along with gratitude. There is a physical and psychological process called "adaptation" that we all go through with repeated exposure to the same stimulus. Come in from the daylight into a dark room and your eyes will adapt. We likewise adapt to what we experience constant exposure to, like our job, our spouse, our children, our friends. It's only when something is taken away from us that we regain our appreciation.
It doesn't have to be this way. What if you could live with daily appreciation for the people and events in your life? This is a part of being "present" with a here and now focus. Being conscious to each moment of your day.
Here is something you can do today. Set 4 alarms about an hour apart on your cell phone. When the alarm goes off ask yourself if you are being present or are you on automatic? What are you taking for granted? What do you have to be grateful for today? Staying in this type of a mindset releases the neurotransmitter dopamine (among others) and stimulates an area of the brain called the septum in the limbic (emotional) system. This is in opposition to a cortisol (stress hormone) environment which we are all subject to with the bombardment of stimuli, mostly negative, 24 hours a day.
Something to think about!
Bob Davies