April 22 is Earth Day! There are miraculous things happening in nature all around you every day and night, big things and little things, life is happening at every moment. In honor of Earth Day, take one minute or even 30 seconds to pause and notice nature around you. Step outside, look out your window, or listen from within your home or workplace and pay attention to what you notice, hear, see, smell from nature. Are the birds chirping, is the wind whistling past your window, is the grass swaying from the wind, are the clouds making a cool formation, is there a little insect buzzing and bustling around, can you smell the fresh blooms of spring? Take note of just one thing you notice that brings you joy or wonder. If it can be captured with a picture and you feel like it, snap one and share. If you can not take a picture write a sentence or two or more about what you noticed. Share your picture or note with the world so the joy and appreciation you experienced can be felt by others and possibly inspire them to do the same. If you want to keep it personal, just make a mental note for yourself about what you notice and soak in the moment. Have fun!

Here is what I noticed today: A flower bulb growing just barely pushing up a pile of dirt out of the ground to make its way to the sun!

Bonus idea…do this once a day. Make it a personal daily practice and keep a personal journal or just mentally note what you witnessed or heard and show your gratitude for nature. This can help to keep you present and ground you in the moment. Just one sentence, or one thought, it does not need to be complicated or difficult to do. Keep it simple, 30 seconds, one thought of what you notice and have gratitude for.

Starting a simple practice like this helps to strengthen and deepen our ability to be present and have gratitude. When we start to notice these things and shift our ideas, we have the power to make a major shift in our thinking over time. This shift in thinking and perception has the potential change your perspective over time in a big way.