The Missouri Botanical Garden has a large presence at Siteman Cancer Center. They send volunteers to help patients in the chemo pods make flower arrangements or floral cards, as examples. Yesterday I saw this flyer in the waiting area from the Therapeutic Horticulture Team at the Missouri Botanical Garden:

It reads:

The Benefit of Noticing

A small amount of time spent noticing nature can change the course of your day.

Take a moment to observe the plants outside these windows.

As the seasons change, begin to see signs of what is to come.

Notice, are there buds forming on the plants and trees?

Are the leaves young and tender green?

Are there any nests or wildlife that you can see?

Is the wind causing movement or does everything seem still? How does it all make you feel?

Noticing is the process of actively selecting and interpreting relevant information from the broader environment. This practice helps us learn in all areas of life, but nature is a great place to start. Slow down. Use your senses intentionally. What do you see, hear, feel, taste and smell right where you are at in this moment? Be in this moment. That is mindfulness. When my thoughts are too messy to find a starting point in my journaling, I turn to this quick journal exercise. Write down 10 things you see, hear, feel, taste or smell right now. It is amazing how this simple exercise grounds me and clears my mind for deeper thought. Sometimes I do this as a mental exercise when I am away from my journal and spiraling with anxiety. It reminds me to be present in all I do. When I walk Madi I do not take any listening devices. I take my phone for emergencies (like when I faceplant in a road ditch) and to snap occasional photos. Otherwise I focus on noticing things on our walks – vegetation, sounds of birds and squirrels, the smell of cut grass or freshly tilled earth, and Madi’s cute little butt wiggle when she is shoulder-deep in a culvert. I love slow motorcycle rides when Dave and I can tell what is pollenating in a field from the scent as we drive by. In the fall we can smell a backyard wood fire pit from a mile away.

I am blessed with friends who help me notice nature, like Kris, who can make me think moss is utterly beautiful, and like Barb, who takes gorgeous photographs of things I walk by all the time without noticing. I have started snapping photos of things I notice so I can remember them later. I scroll through those photos on my bad days to remind myself of all the blessings around me. How lucky I am!