Musings at Altitude

One of my resolutions every year is to make every single interaction something very meaningful.  Create a smile.  Recognize sadness.  Get caught up in someone else’s joy.  Help someone else achieve success.  Share an answered prayer. 

But I’m also on a quest to sharpen my senses so I not only recognize the nuances of the moods of those I meet but also sense my environment and experience those things that I typically am too numb to see, smell, hear, or feel.  Smell the coffee.  See the grass change colors.  See the deer in that clump of trees.  See the last ray of light from the sun setting behind the mountains.  Feel the warmth of the coming spring.  Hear the coal train at its furthest point as it heads into town.

I can’t help but think that I’ll be a better leader, follower, father, husband, son, brother, friend and neighbor if I begin to see, hear and feel what’s going on around me in a very focused and intimate way. 

PS.  There is one particular thing I want to exclude from my sensory awareness progress - that new creak or crack in the morning when I get out of bed or that new pain that shows up a few hours after I do anything physical now – I’d rather just ignore them!