Saturday, June 14, 2014

Let's all just notice something........or everything


When you’re whizzing through life on the interstate at expected typical speeds, you don’t see the little things.  Sure, you notice the signs where you’re going to shop to get food or gasoline or for that much needed potty break.  The small things go zipping by almost blurred by your ambition to get to where you’re going.

For the last two months, I’ve had a crash course in country girl living.  Rural America 101 handed me a lesson in buying propane, septic tank maintenance, the one handed steering wheel neighbor wave, remembering who drives which tractor, that irrigated fields mean lots of bugs and coyotes like to sing but mostly at night.  I also learned that my signature scent is Deep Woods Off, even though I live on the prairie.  I learned that it never hurts to pray for rain in church and that you need at least three good revolving pot luck recipes.  Your boots should be ready for dancing at any minute and your mud boots near the front door (if left outside overnight) need a good shake before you trustfully thrust your feet inside of them.  

The one thing I’ve noticed is HOW to notice.  Let that sink in for a second.  In past blogs I’ve discussed that we’re a society that has to have everything now and can’t make up its mind about anything.  To notice something is a little more than just seeing it.  Noticing it and noticing it well means to take it in, think about it, and even ask some questions about it.  I know you must have that running voice in your head too.  I first noticed some of the smaller things about my new life one night on a bike ride through a neighboring farmer’s field.  As the sun lazily started to sink in the sky and the water-colored sunset started to put itself up on display for Bent County, other small changes happened.  It was as if nature had a script, a stage manager and was right on-cue.  The bugs started biting.  The smell of the near-by pond showered a faint smell of fish over the fields.  The temperature dropping ever so slightly was obvious on my bare legs.  I peddled faster and noticed that just a few hundred yards down a straight country county road the temperature was warmer again, then cooler.  It was nerdtastically fascinating for me.  Then I noticed how beautiful perfectly clean straight rows of freshly planted crops looked as the sun's waning rays shone over the field.

We do not notice things not because we are not looking for them.  We rush by life in cars with rolled up window. We don’t notice humidity changes because there are weather professionals to tell us what the weather will do.  Our senses are dulled because it is done for us. In the country, people listen to the television reports but trust that looking outside is probably still the best way to know what’s coming.  You FEEL it, you SMELL it and you SEE it.

There’s a lot to notice out here and where you are too.  I hope when you take a walk you’ll notice certain smells, changes in the air and sounds in the air.  Fully putting to use your five senses is one of the best ways to feel alive.
~Anne

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