PAY ATTENTION!

“Pay attention!” Teachers, professors, parents, and even friends scream it at us from the time we are age two or three. We are never taught exactly how to pay attention however it is something we are supposed to automatically “know” how to do. When our parents are telling us a list of chores or errands to be done, teachers teaching a hard math lesson, professor giving a long and boring lecture, and our friends telling us the repeated story of what happened on her date, what are we paying attention to? Are we noticing how the errands might need to be done to get you out the house for a surprise birthday party when you return? Are we seeing x, y, z, and large numbers on the board wondering how will they apply to us in five years? When our professor is giving us a boring lecture, are we aware of the easiness of the subject matter? When our friend is telling you about her date for the umpteenth time are you noticing the way her voice changes or her eyes glisten when she talks about him? We can notice these things if we pay attention. We pay attention by learning to connect and thrive.  If we can enjoy the moment and focus on the present we can get through these and other boring lectures with much ease. When we pay attention by connecting and thriving we are improving our quality of life. Cameron states, "The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight. The capacity for delight is the gift of paying attention." From my interpretation, Cameron means that life is a gift. But how are we to enjoy this gift if we are too busy being upset about the way it was packaged? Or we complain about it and fail to realize that maybe it was homemade and someone put hours of time into it to create it especially for us? The gift of life is given to us by Him and often times we fail to thank Him for it by not paying attention or being grateful for it. (Sorry to get so personal y'all.) I was used to being treated a certain way by young, stupid guys who I would talk to for a few months and then never hear from again. Maybe one or two dates, a few text messages, and things would fizzle very fast. Then I met this one guy who wasn't as tall as the others, he wasn't as flashy as the others, and he didn't approach me like they did either. I realized these things but it was still something that drove me to him, that made me reply back to his “Good morning beautiful” text messages every single time, it was something that made me agree to meet him at my favorite restaurant for our first date. After we left the restaurant we went walking through the park and talked for hours. I forgot all sense of time or that I needed to be home for church in the morning. I was too busy paying attention to the way he was so intrigued by the things I had to say, I was distracted by his beautiful smile, but I paid attention to the way he adored his mother. That showed me that he was capable of being in the presence of my daddy’s princess because he had been raised by a Queen himself. By paying attention to what he said and what he did I was able to see a great, respectful and ambitious guy. I didn't focus on his height, the fact that he did not have on the latest Jordan sneakers, or the type of car he drove. I chose to focus on the guy in front of me in return I was brought a happiness that hadn’t been sparked in years. I then realized that paying attention is more than listening and looking, it’s seeing within the fine lines. It's amazing the things we see and hear when we actually pay attention to the things we have always seen but in a more contemplative way. Since this post was first written, I have become more observant of my surroundings and notice the beauty in everything.