Who in your life has a unique gift of Noticing? This terminology arose this week during a conversation about Forest Bathing and our attempts to capture what it means to be deeply aware, not only of our amazing creation, but of the Creator Himself. What one word might capture the magnitude that the Power of Presence can have on our souls when we are giving our complete attention to the people and places around us? It is Shauna Niequist’s insight that, to me, seems to seize this vast concept and bring it to something more manageable. In her book I Guess I Haven’t Learned That Yet, Niequist offers, “Being a writer means being committed to paying attention, to walking through the world as a Noticer. It means finding language for the seemingly unspeakable, using words to bridge the divides between us, telling stories that narrate and renarrate who we are in the world and what the world means to us.”
Although in previous posts I’ve alluded to this admiration for those who have a talent for paying attention, for those whose situational awareness rises to a different level; I’m leaning strongly in the direction that the word Noticing best captures this notion that is so difficult to articulate. However, on this journey to cultivate the Habits of a Flourishing Life, perhaps a subtitle should be added to the Habit of Awareness that includes the habit of Noticing. What other word expresses the person who stops to admire when the orange and peach hues of a sunrise begin to meld into the grays and blues of the early morning sky? Or when a toddler halts the walk to school to admire ants just doing their thing marching across the sidewalk to their nest? Or the student who hears the echo of Miller Tower’s chimes after their noon-hour tolling? Or perhaps most vitally, the friend who catches the tone of the “Meh” response that begs for a follow-up question for further exploration? Noticing—yes, I think this word summarizes how God desires that we love and honor Him and others. We Notice what is happening all around us.
So, how might we cultivate this idea of Noticing? I offer one approach would be to become intentional about bridging the Gratitude Gap through activities like creating a gratitude journal as Ann Voskamp shares in One Thousand Gifts, or embracing Niequist’s attention to Ordinary Time.“What does it mean to Notice and bear witness to the ordinary moments of our lives—not the lofty ideas or peak experiences, but making sandwiches and making meaning and making a life, stitched together over time by all those moments of here?” This is my hope when requesting students to complete a card in class that answers this writing prompt: “I am grateful for ____ because ____.” Noticing and recognizing all the ways that people invest in us is vital to an Attitude of Gratitude. When we intentionally reflect on these investments, we invite a spirit of Noticing to enter into our lives.
For those of us at Union experiencing this Bicentennial Celebration, for those of us challenged by Dr. Dub’s convocational address entitled “Onward,” we have a golden opportunity to cultivate Noticing—Noticing the incredible history that we have, Noticing the important responsibility we have not to coast in our faith, and Noticing that we have an important mission to complete. For those of us blessed with the opportunity to influence Emerging Generations, let’s brainstorm ideas that will help them cultivate this notion of Noticing in their lives. How can we model for them what it means to be a Good Neighbor, Noticing the needs of our colleagues, teammates, peers, and educators? And then not only Notice, but act on what we see—attempting to fulfill those needs or perhaps just encouraging someone to continue seeking their God-Given Space.
Are you in a close relationship with someone who has a talent for Noticing—not in the way a distracted person loses concentration when a notification dings on their phone, but the listen-with-your-eyes kind of Noticing that happens when a person chooses to be present with you? How do you think they cultivated this skill? I’m looking to emulate people whose tombstone might read “She/He was a Noticer”! Please consider sharing your ideas in the comments below.
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Flourishing @ Life 