“Writing makes me pay attention to the world around me.”

I heard someone say this on NPR. I’m sorry to report I did not catch her name. But her words rang true for me.

A couple years ago I started writing a daily post on Facebook. Each day for 365 days I wrote what I was thankful for. I know the idea sounds “poly-ann(ish)” but the reality is I tend to be pretty “poly-ann(ish).” I am a raging optomist that tends to find the good in most things.

Anyway…my point is…writing that daily post forced me to pay attention to what was going on around me. It also made me think about how I react to situations or how others react to situations.

This may sound “normal” to focus on the world around you. But for me it isn’t and I suspect for many others it isn’t either.

I think many of us go through our days on auto-pilot. How many of us have shown up to work in the morning and realized we have no memory of the drive?
A friend once said I ignore myself. He was actually right. I tend to become easily distracted and allow my brain to wonder off.

So here is yet another advantage to participating in the NaBloPoMo. For the entire month of November I will be required to pay attention to the world around me. I will also challenge myself to stay engaged and pay attention to the actions of others as well as myself.