Noticing Gifts We Don’t Have to Chase
A Year of Noticing - Day 112
One of my favourite things about a cold, crisp, sunny day on the Prairies is the magical phenomenon of sundogs.
Growing up in southern Ontario, I can’t recall ever seeing this in the sky. There is absolutely a scientific explanation about the refraction of light on ice crystals (or something to that effect), and I still feel it is magical everytime I see it… Winter rainbows, encasing the sun with magic and beauty!
Today, it motivated me to get outside and chase the beauty of the sundogs. Actually, what I was chasing was an open field to capture a picture of the sundogs.
I had already noticed, savoured and basked in the beauty, but I wanted to chase the photo I could share with a clear view of the entire sky.
As I walked through the frigid winter breeze, chasing beauty… It reminded me of a quote that a friend recently shared with me:
Joy isn’t something we have to chase. It’s already here, waiting for us to notice.
~ Source unknown
Seeing the beauty of sundogs in the sky, to me, is something that brings a smile to my face and fills me with such joy and delight… A gift of nature, just waiting for me to notice!
I also noticed it is possible to replace “joy” with “beauty”… Beauty isn’t something we have to chase. It’s already here, waiting for us to notice…
… and then I realized, I wasn’t actually chasing beauty - I was simply noticing it (and enjoying it too!).
It seems possible to substitude “joy” in the quote, with many other words such as:
peace
connection
beauty
… each of these feelings or emotions are that we do not have to chase; there are here waiting for us to notice, and there may also be others that come to mind for you! How might you fill in the blank:
_____ isn’t something we have to chase. It’s already here, waiting for us to notice.
And as I was “chasing” beauty today, I realized that I wasn’t chasing the beauty of the sundogs for myself. I was chasing the beauty to be able to share with you… because when we can share these experiences and emotions with others, that enriches the expereince.
We can experience them individually, on our own… and it is even more potent, and adds a richness or fullness to life, when we can share these experiences with others!
What joy or beauty was waiting for you to notice today?
xo
Check out all of the past days in “A Year of Noticing” right HERE.
This is the way of connection and peace. Beautiful, Heidi, thank you!