That's Different

What captures your attention?  No.  I mean really, what really captures your attention.  Yes.  To the point where your mate's voice fades into the background like the symphonic cadence of a forest on a warm Georgia night.

I love different.  Different captures my attention.  The problem is, while I can focus my attention and take delight in something, I can't remember the next day what it was that nudged my Richter scale.  So I am creating this category to track this stuff for myself.  I want to look back in twenty years and be able to remember what caused my eyebrows to raise and my breath to shorten.

From a fifty-thousand foot view, here are some things that dave, at the age of fifty-one, notices.

The Champion - In sports, I love those teams and individuals who are on top of their game.  While some folks root for the underdog, I love to see a chap like Tiger win the Masters by fifteen strokes.  Right now it's the New England Patriots.  I'd love to see Tom Brady throw sixty touchdowns in a season and for the team to go undefeated.  For the record I am not fond of the Bill Belichick who we see in public.

The Challenged - The human spirit, deployed to overcome challenges.  Whether it's a woman or child who have been abused, someone strung out on drugs or a mentally handicapped individual, the folks who fight to overcome seemingly impossible odds hold a Texas-sized ranch of real estate in my heart.

Teachers - But not the noun part of the word, the verb part - with three-part harmony and full  orchestration.  I'm talkin' about those who slow our world down a bit using the most powerful force in the universe - care.  I'm talkin' about those who will put an arm around our shoulder and say, "come with me."  I'm talkin' about those who work their guts out so our pathway has one less boulder in it.

Youth - A relative term here, but I refer to those from thirteen to thirty.  I love tween, teen and post-teen spirit!  (use of poetic license just enacted).  For those of us who are over thirty, our job is to keep enlarging this group's sandbox.  We must not stifle.  We must endorse play and creativity.  We should stay close though, with a safety net and shoulder.

Design - On the industrial side - stuff that makes our lives easier and more comfortable.  On the graphic side - stuff that enhances communication and is aesthetically pleasing.  I am a compulsive sort of fellow and right now I am completely infatuated with these two types of design.  As I look back in twenty years, this must, somehow have been a major portion of my life.

Seasoned Wisdom - This comes from folks older than I.  As our youth is a gold mine of what can be, this group of folks is a gold mine of what was (and of course what still can be).  It is beyond important to harvest and utilize the wisdom and knowledge of our older citizens!

The Family Unit - Family comes first.  No exceptions.  My definition of family begins with the blood of the immediate unit but quickly encompasses those people who come together, irregardless of race, religion, age or sex, for the betterment of the unit.  There is a resurgence of the family unit.  Pay attention and continue to build upon it - blood relative or not.

Technology - Technology enables.  This is the best time in history to be alive.

Freedom - I so appreciate the efforts of our country's forefathers.  So appreciate!!!!

Engaged: Heart-Mind-Back - Is there a much more precious commodity in this universe than the individual who loves what they do for a living?

Perhaps when I look back, experiences from the above fields will make my list.  Perhaps they won't.  The important thing for me though, is to get it down on paper and screen.  I might keep this as a work-in-progress.  My hope is that you can relate.  Thanks!

Comments

[Rosa Say]

Mmmm... so much energy sprouts from this! I can definitely relate Dave, especially in this season of thankfulness. I just wrote about Mahalo Stickiness this morning, reminding folks to focus on the action that can be evoked in our gratitude journals. Your new category will help you remain thankful all the year through, for this is a magnificent listing of what grabs your attention because you appreciate them and their impact on you.

I think of mahalo as to appreciate (know), to be grateful (become), and to be thankful (share), and that is exactly what this list will do for you. Terrific exercise!