In college, I heard that a friend of mine from high school had started participating in the local comedy club’s amateur night. This surprised me since I didn’t think that would be something he was interested in, but there he was. I talked to him about it and it was interesting. This wasn’t a burning desire in his life but seemed like a fun thing to do, so he did it. I’m not sure I could get in front of people and tell jokes like that so the mere fact that he did it impressed me. The fact that he continued to do it impressed me even more. He started carrying around a notebook and jotted down any funny thought that he encountered during the day. It actually go to the point where his mother grew concerned that anything she said or did would become fodder for his routine.

I don’t remember how long he did the standup comedy but the thought of him with his notebook intrigues me. Suddenly, he looked at the world in a different way, being more observant of the activities around him. Things he would not have even glanced at before suddenly became very interesting. I am now experiencing a similar effect with this blog. Simple conversations I have suddenly turn into full blog posts and life lessons. All that changed is my awareness of things going on around me.

December is often considered the “hustle and bustle” month with Christmas shopping, parties, and other activities going on. It becomes very easy to only look forward and miss everything that is going on around you, which is a shame because it is also the time of year where there are so many fascinating things to look and see.

So open your perceptions up around you. Explore the world around you with a new found perception. Notice things that have been there all along but you never saw before. Enjoy the season with its music, sights, and smells. Take pleasure in the world around you.