“Show interest in all people, not just those from whom you want something. Making people feel important and good about themselves is just the right thing to do.”

Bo Bennett

I am in a relationship and my significant other has an 11 year-old child. I have been around him for a whole year now and just recently found out he plays the trumpet. He never brought his trumpet home from school.  Never practiced his trumpet. Never spoke of playing the trumpet and I thought maybe 11 year olds just don’t care about trumpets. Over the past week I have been asking questions about the trumpet. Various things like; what songs did you play last year? What time your band class is? How many trumpet players are there? Etc…

Last night, after he finished his homework, he pulled out the trumpet went outside and started to play. After a year of becoming a part of this family, this is the first time I heard a note. He warmed up with some scales, played a couple recognizable tunes, and as he played I recognized he really knows how to play that thing. He sounded pretty good. Not to mention he is an 11 year old who never practices or even talks about it, for that matter he is pretty amazing.

I realized in that moment how much my interest in someone else can change their experience.  I am constantly presented with a world that is dieing to express itself in all sorts of ways.  All to often I am stuck in my head only concerned about myself.  If I show interest in the stuff that matters to others, it seems that attention opens a whole new world of excitement and enthusiasm for life. I know when people take interest in me it feels amazing, so it seems only right to give that feeling back

Affirmation: As I take notice and interest in the world around me, the world around me seems to get more interesting.

Call to Action:  There are so many things around us that go unnoticed.  When I am in a place where I am not taking notice of the world around me the world around me seems to get very boring and all that I am left with are stories of how dull the world is.  Today i am going to look a little closer and find where my interest can be the interest that the world around me needs.  So share something of yourself and celebrate the gifts of those around you!  They have been waiting for you to notice!!!