Observant

Today I am grateful for my sense of smell. It picked up yesterday's rain, this morning's coffee, and the fragrant lotion I put on my hands. 

I heard the word observant the other day. Heard it in a new and clarifying way. Like when a fresh perspective is reached. First hearing it from a fellow recovery friend, I considered it in terms of being observant of the disease of alcoholism. Noticing when a slippery thought creeps in, or when my acceptance is low and my expectations high. Best to be observant of a disease that kills every day. 

I love it when words grab our attention and pave a deeper path of meaning. Sure, it's just a word. But words matter. 

One of the definitions of observant is “quick to notice things.” The key word here for me is notice, not quick. Pause and look around, look within. Observe. Feel. 

A couple of things I observed yesterday in a short span of being observant:

*raindrops rolling across a windshield, with a will of their own 

*seeing the words “simply still” on a sign and taking it in for the reminder it was and is 

*feeling safe and content with where I was and who I was with (my husband Darcy)

A little more observant goes a long way. In life, on a run, in my own heart and less cluttered mind.