Seeing Beyond The Grass (& what do you choose to see?)
Written by Michelle Shelton
October 3, 2023
As a mother of 3 young boys, they are my deepest inspiration for the work I do. I want to help build a better world for them, and help them be a part of a better world, a world where we lead with our hearts and lean into the present with kindness and courage. To this end, they are often the (underwhelmed) recipients of the tools and practices I believe to be so important to our fulfillment in life.
As I sat at the sidelines of the soccer game this past Saturday while my youngest played, I had one of these moments. My oldest asked me if he could use my phone to look up video games. Ah, I thought, this is the perfect opportunity to practice an awareness exercise. I'm pretty sure he thought so too (hahah).
What is one thing you see, I asked.
He shrugged. I pressed on. Finally he responded, grass.
What is one thing that you hear?
You, he replied.
What do you feel?
Grass.
What do you smell?
Grass.
What do you taste?
Grass (as he teasingly puts a blade in his mouth).
Great! Nice round one, now let's expand your view. Look across the field (beautiful mountains in the distance)...what do you see?
(Holding a handful of grass up to his eyes) Grass.
What do you hear (as the autumn breeze blows gently, rustling through the trees)?
Grass.
What do you feel (as the warmth of the morning sun shines on our skin)?
Grass.
As I reflect on his answers, I know this was his not so subtle way of saying, mom, I'm not interested in this right now. And yet, I couldn't help seeing the parallels to many of us at times in our lives. Have you ever been so stuck on seeing the "grass" that you miss the bigger picture, or brush right past the beauty, strength, and resources of the world around you? What are you choosing to see? What are you choosing to not see?
We can get stuck in life by these narrow views, stuck in a box that we've created. When this happens, how can we expand our view? Start by being intentional about what you choose to see.
See you. See your strength, see your goodness. If this feels hard, try asking the people closest to you to share what they see in you. Write it down and read it back to yourself.
See beauty. You can find beauty in almost anything. Notice the intricacies of the creations around you, the details of each flower, the magnificent colors of the sunset, the unique way each tree grows, the beauty in the complexity and in the imperfections.
See kindness. Find examples and evidence of the goodness in humanity, the ways neighbors, friends or even perfect strangers show up for and care for each other.
See connection. Our individualistic culture loves the independent soul, but our true natures are one of connection. We are all connected to this earth and to each other. Seeing the common humanity in us all can pull us out of our stuckness, normalize our own struggles, and inspire us to reach out to help those around us.
See effort. In a world obsessed with outcomes and achievement, there is so much more to be gained by seeing the effort. Through effort we become something greater than what our outward achievements can ever reflect. We build invaluable inner wealth, the wealth of character, resilience, and wisdom.
What you choose to see matters. If you don't like what you see, try brushing the grass away, looking further in the horizon. It could be that the answers you seek are right within your reach.