The sunrise was textbook today: not a cloud in the sky, perfect colour gradation and right on time (as always). It's beautiful in an ordinary kind of way. There was a time where I probably wouldn't have noticed it at all. And yet now that I am programmed to look at it every day, I get to enjoy more of the ordinary beauty that surrounds me everywhere.
It is a function of the reticular activating system to seek out and find what you are looking for. This physiological function is the mechanism behind your focus. I notice that when I look for beauty in the morning, I often find in more than one place. Today, I happened to notice the sweet sound of birds chirping at dawn. I didn't realize how much I had missed that sound all winter until I heard it today. Furthermore, the air seems crisper and the trees seem greener when I am focused on the beauty. The RAS also works against our happiness when we direct it to look for what's wrong. Looking for what's wrong initiates a downward spiral that constantly draws to our attention what else is wrong. This ultimately leads to feeling worse. So, now you know. It's up to you to choose your focus and therefore the ultimate quality of your experience. How are you going to spend it?
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