Notice moments of beauty

Last week I completed the Level-One of Internal Family Systems (IFS) training, a type of therapy I've become increasingly interested in and find myself using more and more with clients. One of the central ideas of IFS is that we all have access to what is

called Self-energy, sometimes described as our "inner knower" or "higher/wiser self." When we are connected to Self-energy, we tend to experience qualities like calm, curiosity, compassion, clarity, confidence, courage, creativity, connectedness, presence, patience, perspective, persistence, and playfulness. That's a long list of adjectives. So naturally I was wondering what actually helps us access those qualities in every day life?

A suggestion from one of the instructors was simple: notice what you find beautiful. So this morning I realized that was exactly what I was doing. I was sitting on my balcony and noticed the marigolds that seemed to have grown overnight after last week's rain. They were bright orange and yellow and looked like lollipops from Candy Land. My cat was stretched out taking in the sun. The air was still - not too hot and not too cold. A welcome relief after yesterday's unpleasant wind. When we are appreciating beauty, there isn't an agenda. We're not trying to solve a problem. We're not judging, fixing, planning, or worrying. We don't need a perfect day or something profound or out of the ordinary to access Self-energy. Sometimes it is a patch of sunlight, a few moments of stillness, a cat enjoying the morning, or a cheerful flower.