Noticing Goodness:: Guest Blogger

Once upon a time, our own Eva Jennings got up in front of everyone and shared about how she'd be practicing "noticing goodness" in her life. Before we begin another facet of our theme at our next meeting, Eva is graciously allowing me to post her beautiful and thoughtful opening here as a refresher for us all. 

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Since we are starting to explore the “Noticing Goodness” part of our Fierce Flourishing theme today, I wanted to share some of my recent thoughts and experience on noticing goodness. I recently came across an article in a MOPS magazine by a man named James Bryan Smith. The article starts with a story:

"When my friend John took on a new and very demanding role in ministry, he called Dallas Willard for advice. (Dallas Willard was a philosophy professor at USC) With pen and notepad in hand, John was ready to write down a half dozen or more key things. Dallas began by saying 'Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life.' John wrote it down.

'Okay. What’s next?' queried John.

'There is no next. Just do that, John, and you’ll be fine.'

The author continues…

"Why is eliminating hurry from our lives so crucial? When we eliminate hurry we become present… to the present moment in all of its glory. We become aware of our surroundings. We see colors and smell smells; we hear hushed sounds and can actually feel the wind in our faces. In short, we 'show up' and experience the fullness of life.... Hurry is not part of a well-lived life."

By nature, I am not a hurrier. I like to live in the moment. When I read a book, I savor each word, enjoying the sound of it in my head before moving on. When I wash the dishes, I take my time, getting each bubble of soap off of the dish, then watching the water drip from the dish before placing it on the rack (I turn the water off in between dishes).

Unfortunately, life with two young kids encourages a whole lot of hurry. I often feel the need to rush through sweet moments, to get back to the tasks that I think I need to accomplish. I don’t think this is what life is supposed to be about.

One of my New Year’s resolutions this year is to spend at least 15 minutes every day playing with my kids. Not just spending time with them while cooking or cleaning or gardening, but actually involving my whole body and mind in the play. In these moments of play, something magical happens. I laugh more. I revel in the creative process that is engrossing my kids, rather than focusing on the mess that they are making. Simply put, we all have fun and feel lighter for it.

For those of you like me who like to hear the science behind the benefits of eliminating hurry, I’ll leave you with a piece of inspiration from the magazine Real Simple:

"Washing dishes can reduce a person’s levels of stress and anger by 27%! Researchers had 51 college students tackle the chore, asking some to really focus on the act (the scent of the soap, the warmth of the water, how the dishes felt) while leaving others to just do it. Afterward, the subjects completed reports relating to mindfulness, inspiration and stress. Those who had solely concentrated on washing the dishes experienced a 27% reduction in nervousness and bad feelings, and enjoyed a 25% boost in mental inspiration. The distracted dish-washers experienced nothing."

Ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life. :)

                                                                       --Eva Jennings