The Benefits of Taking Notice

Fire ants - photo by Richard Becker

          Trail pheromones are a chemical secretion that leads members of a species towards a food source while also serving as a territorial marker. Many ants use such a chemical trail between their nest site and a source of food. Each colony carries a unique set of pheromones to communicate different messages; ants use their antennas to receive these messages. The initial trailblazer will leave secretions to alert others to their discovery. Ants will then recognize the chemical signal, follow the trail to the food, and renew the chemical mark on the way back to the nest. Once the food source is gone, the ants skip the renewal process and allow the pheromones to diffuse and weaken. 

          Eknath Easwaran wrote, "In everyday life, we are shaped by what gains our attention and occupies our thoughts." When we slow down and place our attention in the here and now, we have a chance to notice the joy and beauty hidden in the ordinary. As we observe the natural, inevitable course of impermanence, we come to understand how precious life is. We begin to notice small kindnesses and realize the effort at connection another person has made. Closely attending to these gifts can develop into a practice that will enrich our lives - gratitude. With experience, we mature beyond conventional gratitude and find things to appreciate in our challenges as well. Like the ant's trail, the evidence is there if we only take time to look for it.

For more information on gratitude, see this post. 

Principles: Gratitude

The following cards (#13-30) are additional spiritual principles and practices that can be essential in recovery.

Dolphin leaping out of the ocean

          We’re frequently encouraged to develop an optimistic outlook in recovery. Yet the human brain is wired for negative bias – we’re built with a greater sensitivity to what is unpleasant to keep us out of harm’s way. As neuropsychologist Rick Hanson describes it, “The brain is like Velcro for negative experiences and Teflon for positive ones.” Research shows that we need a ratio of five positive encounters/thoughts to balance out a single negative one. Hanson suggests three steps to aid in rebalancing this predisposition:

1. Look for good facts and turn them into good experiences.
2. Really enjoy the experience.
3. Intend and sense that the good experience is sinking into you.

          Gratitude is the recognition and appreciation of what is good; it is an ongoing way to perceive life. It can make us aware of the resources we have instead of what we lack. Yet gratitude requires a conscious effort:

• Do we slow down enough to notice small, unexpected joys – a good cup of coffee, the smile of a stranger or a group of roadside wildflowers?
• Can we appreciate the people who operate in the background, yet whose services make our lives easier?
• Are we grateful for what we’ve been spared?
• Instead of assuming the worst, can we acknowledge we often just don’t know how things will turn out?
• What small kindnesses have we received with no conditions attached?

Listing the good things we experience and reflecting on them can keep the heart from becoming calloused and provide a welcoming space for happiness.

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more.

~ Melody Beattie

For more information on gratitude, see this post.