Quote of the Day: open your eyes to the world around you
Are you paying attention to the world around you?
Take a moment to think about it and be honest with yourself. If the answer's "No, not really." or "sometimes 'yes,' sometimes 'no'." Don't worry, I've been there before too. You know, when you wake up in the morning and simply go through the motions without paying any real attention to much of anything. Get up, go to work, have dinner, go to bed - day in, day out.
Well, I woke up one day and asked myself:
"Where has the time gone?... Where am I going?... Is that really what I want to be?"
I started by asking myself these questions. In my search for the answers came the realization that ultimately, we have a choice. You can close your eyes and hope for the best, or you can start paying attention to the world around you.
"Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." -- John Lennon
[Flickr Photo by: SimoneyB]
I think we should live with awareness. Without proper awareness we can not change - we can not rise to the next level.
Going through the motions unconscious is akin to being on autopilot. Growth is rendered unlikely in such circumstances. We must be present with our minds and spirits.
Posted by: Bamboo Forest | July 27, 2008 at 07:18 AM
Ricardo-I LOVE this post! This is what I call living a life wide-awake. These questions should be posted on every bathroom mirror and be near our nightstands as we go to sleep reflecting on what we learned about the world and ourselves for the day. Great reminder, friend! Can't wait for what I will see today!
Posted by: Angela Maiers | July 27, 2008 at 11:38 AM
Spending time in the garden is my constant reminder to look around and notice things--really see them--before they're gone. Every time I step out there, I walk by each plant to see what's new. For me, it's a time of meditation and a call to be more mindful of the world around me--both the good and the bad.
This post is a beautiful thought, and a perfect reminder.
Posted by: Sara at On Simplicity | July 27, 2008 at 11:59 AM
I agree!
Every so often I have a moment where I "wake up." It's the only way I can describe it--suddenly it's as if I opened my eyes and I can see the world and my life the way they really are: filled with joy and potential. It gives me a great sense of expectancy!
Posted by: mousewords | July 27, 2008 at 12:26 PM
Honestly that's the main reason I started my blog. I find it really forces me to spend some time thinking about the world and reflecting on what's going on around me.
Posted by: celeste | July 27, 2008 at 01:18 PM
Actually I'm paying more attention to the world around me than I am to myself. I'm going through the motions - with some things in my life - and no I'm not where I want to be...or maybe where I think I should be. I have been thinking about the where am I going and sometimes, how did I get here. I guess if you don't pay attention, you will wake up one day and wonder.
Posted by: Natural | July 27, 2008 at 04:36 PM
Ahhh...I love this one. Waking up. I wish I, and everyone around me was awake all of the time. It is really hard to be where we want to be all of the time. I guess this is "life". It is funny how my children seem to make me more aware of what life really means. Looking at them and seeing them living life to the greatest potential each days just reminds me that I was once there. Then I suddenly awake...and ride roller coasters (everyday)!
Posted by: Tammy Warren | July 27, 2008 at 04:38 PM
"when you wake up in the morning and simply go through the motions without paying any real attention to much of anything"
Sometimes I have to do that as a survival mechanism while working in an office when Id much rather be chasing my real dreams and following my passion.
Sometimes I cant look too closely or pay attention. It can be too depressing.
Posted by: meleah rebeccah | July 27, 2008 at 05:57 PM
Very true!
It's been my experience that if I'm living in the past, or worrying about the future I am not fully aware of the Now and what I'm doing in it.
Living anywhere but in the Now robs us of the present... and that is all we really have. The Power of Now by Echart Tolle is a good read on this subject.
Posted by: Davina | July 27, 2008 at 07:21 PM
@Bamboo Forest: Very, very well said my friend! The first step towards change is "awareness"...
@Angela: Hiya! Glad you made it here :-) It's good to see you...
These questions are the very questions I try and ask myself daily. I try and place them at the forefront of everything that I'm doing so that each step I take is a step in the "right" direction.
@Sara: That's awesome that you have a hobby like that, that you find peace in! Something you can just immerse yourself in and just be...a time to think and regain clarity and have a little fun in the process.
Some of us need to find a hobby just like Sara's. I bet something as simple as that would help organize our thoughts and bring greater clarity. For me, my hobby is running and/or reading (two very opposites I know! But they work for me).
Posted by: Ricardo Bueno | July 27, 2008 at 11:25 PM
It is all about choices, and consequences, isn't it? That what we tried to instill in our children. Now, they're passing the concept on to their children. It a joy to see it in action.
Posted by: Barbara Swafford | July 28, 2008 at 12:26 AM
Hi Ricardo - that's a great, honest question. One that we all should ask ourselves every day. We may not have the answer yet, but we should never forget to keep asking. Thanks for the reminder!
Posted by: Al at 7P | July 28, 2008 at 03:13 AM
I for one don't have the answer to that although I strive to find it all the time. But I do know not to go through life with my eyes closed beacuse then I wouldn't be alive My favorite motto is "Your Alive .... So Live" Besides I wouldn't miss seeing my kids grow up for nothing!!!! :-)
Posted by: Jennifer | July 28, 2008 at 12:12 PM
Oh, I'm with Sara on this one. Every night, as soon as we get home from work, the Urbane Lion and I grab a beverage and wander around our gardens. We do it nice and slowly and make note, and wonder, at all the changes just from the previous day. It is also our 'transition' time, when we leave the 9-5 behind us, and really tune into each other.
I spent the first 23 years of my adult life pretty much sound asleep. Now I'm wide awake and raring to go!!!
Posted by: Urban Panther | July 28, 2008 at 01:27 PM
This is why I meditate for twenty minutes each day. Being in the now, even if it's just for twenty minutes, allows you to begin stretching the time period during which your mind is completely inside your heard instead of running around finishing conversations in the past or looking to the future.
Posted by: Marelisa | July 28, 2008 at 01:32 PM
@mousewords: I have those moments too. Every so often, I catch myself going on autopilot and I have to take a step back and assess what I'm doing...(this is the part where I ask myself these questions again).
You know what though, I bet it's your painting that gives you the space you need to reflect and enjoy it all!
@Celeste: A blog is a great way to reflect on yourself. It's an on-line journal only here your sharing it with a lot more people. Sometimes, that's a great way to reflect...you get insights from a far greater range of people with diverse backgrounds (I think that's a good thing).
@Natural: Well it sounds like you're thinking about it now :-) I have my moments where I sit back and wonder...but with each day, I think I'm making progress...
@Tammy: Hey there! It is hard to be where we "want" to be because we can't help but get jealous sometimes at what other people have. That sometimes influences us...
Now I don't have children of my own (but I think I'd like four someday) but I can see how they make is reflect on everything that's good in life...how they're actions can make you proud...
@Meleah: I know exactly what you mean because I've been there too! I think that's why it's important for all of us to have some sort of hobby...a get-a-way of sorts where we can reflect on it all and find happiness in what we're doing and what we want to do.
I think one of your hobbies is blogging though, isn't it? You told me once that it's the one thing you do for yourself. And you have such a great deal of friends that you've developed from it all! That I think is amazing :-)
@Davina: Hey there! I agree with you...the "Present" is all that really matters. I mean granted, the past shapes who we are to an extent but we can't go on living through life worrying about the past... And as for the future, we never really know what tomorrow will bring so if we spend time worrying about that too, next thing you know, the present is gone and we've missed it all!
(I'll be adding the book you referenced to my reading list.... :-p ).
@Barbara: Hi there! It was great to see you at Liz's Blog-To Show...
Regarding what you said, yes it is... But I think it's also about learning from your mistakes and knowing that you can't spend all your life worrying about those mistakes that you made. Some people spend too much time doing that...
@Al at 7P: No problem! Thanks for stopping in. Truth is, we probably won't find the answer right away. But if we spend some honest time asking ourselves those questions, we might find it soon enough...
@Jennifer: that's ok. I still spend some time looking for the answer too. As long as we're spending to time to look, we're taking steps in the right direction. PS. Love the motto!
Posted by: Ricardo Bueno | July 28, 2008 at 01:37 PM
@Urban Panther: that's just awesome and cute on so many levels...to have a hobby that you both find peace and enjoy (together)! And hey, it's true what they say, "better late than never!" :-p
@Marelisa: Hey the way I see it, any little bit of reflection works! At least we're taking the time to reflect than not paying attention at all...
Posted by: Ricardo Bueno | July 28, 2008 at 01:52 PM
Ricardo, what a great question... I think that life sometimes takes over and reading a post like this gives me a little jolt. WAKE UP!!! And, start paying attention!
Thank you!
Posted by: Irina Netchaev | July 28, 2008 at 06:25 PM
Awesome quote!! I try to keep my eyes open. Hubby is Army, so I can't be too oblivious to what's going on. I've learned to love and appreciate every day.
Great post. Thanks!!
Posted by: Elaine | July 28, 2008 at 09:30 PM
@Irina: You're awesome! Thanks for the shout-out on twitter earlier today :-p I'm glad I could provide a little inspiration to get you going with your days...
@Elaine: Glad you liked the quote! I hope all is well with your hubby (I have friends whose spouses are in the army. They certainly know how to embrace the time they get to spend together).
Thanks for visiting! Hope to see you again soon...
Posted by: Ricardo Bueno | July 28, 2008 at 11:44 PM
Very interesting question... time is indeed flying and many things like day-to-day work are distracting us from important existential consciousness.
Let's take "happiness" : most people are more happy than they think they are. They just don't think about it until they are not anymore. Happiness and health are 2 things we think about when we are missing them.
This is why opening our eyes when all is OK is important too... because it brings positive relativity to the perspective we may feel locked on.
So, from that point of view, important issues are not where we think they are... That consciousness is indispensable to be able to unlock our curiosity and discover the world vs. being lost and following the global motion.
Posted by: Luc Debaisieux - mindblob | July 31, 2008 at 05:44 AM