I remember, as I arrived at my place of work this morning, I stopped, shook hands and made a point of saying good morning to my colleague who was standing at the gate. We smiled and continued to get along with our days. Perhaps unconsciously the good feeling that comes from positive social interaction went through me. My day was already off to a good start. Reflecting this and noting it now, I get the good feeling again. The interaction was part of what makes life wonderful.
What would happen next? Of course, it was a busy day as everyday is, and much happened, some fast, some slow. What wonderful, even if small things can I notice.
Interacting with my student (I am a teacher) at the time, I shared the sense of achievement as I witnessed him completing a multiple step construction requiring attention to detail in following instructions.
During the morning snack time, I witness curioity as my students tryed to name the never-seen before food they were eating. Is the variety of food we prepare and see everyday not another marvel in itself, that should not be taken for granted?
As a class, we did some runs outside. I contemplate these now. It is truly a wonderful opportunity to be able to freely let of energy like this? Even the feeling of the air on your face is fresh and exhilerating. The outdoors truly is a wonderful thing.
Later, I went to get lunch. I shared a laugh with the kitchen staff about the number of vegetables I was having. I said a deep thank you, to which they lightly smiled and laughed. I think about this now. It was a calming experience in the middle of a busy day.
In the early afternoon, I went to pick up some items from the school store. I shared another laugh with a colleague. I remember that now with a smile. A simple connection.
In the afternoon, we rehearsed for a performance. We were able to see progress from the previous practice two days ago as we are now more familiar. Indeed even if it had only been a much smaller step forward, it would have been progress. I saw further positivity created as we had a feedback and individuals shared that they had been very happy and felt we were much better. Thank you!
The weather turned to rain later in the day. Yet this brought with it, a new refreshing feel to the air. Also the opportunity for laughter as we sung the “Rain, rain, go away.” song – much liked amoungst my four and five year old students.
This evening, I played a card game with a friend. We had the opportunity to exerise our brain, support each other and benefit from social interaction. It was truly warming to be with his family also.
Life is complicated. The world is complicated. The outside world is varied. However, we can think about many things in different ways. A soon as we stop and realize that we can have control over the way we think about the world, what we see and what is happening, life can be enriched.
It is nothing new to say be proactive and not reactive. On a level, this can mean find ways to be positive and proactive in how you interpret live. Take time to sit down, smile and think about any number of positive things that have happened or the beauty that comes from them. Noting five each day might be one example. Once we find and highlight the positivity, it will come to light. There are a number of areas of beauty in life – positive social interactions, however small, shared experiences, progress and growth and aspects of the natural world. Take time to reflect on and find the positive. Think about them, and if they are small, they will grow. Much of the beauty in the way you see the world can be created by you.