This month, I had a midweek day off from school—alone. As a teacher married to a teacher with two children still in school, our four district calendars rarely align perfectly. The result? A day off just for me!

How serendipitous. This is the time of year high school teachers find themselves pretty worn out. Three-quarters of the year are over, yet one more remains as warmer weather, prom, and the excitement of the year ending stir students up and sap their motivation. These powerful springtime forces oppose my best efforts to keep students engaged for one more unit of study. A solo day off is exactly what I needed to power up and press to the finish line.

A day away

Some years back, while looking for reading passages to use in my English classes, I stumbled upon an essay from Maya Angelou. The essay appeared on a California High School Exit Exam and is from a book of her essays entitled Wouldn’t Take Nothing for My Journey Now.

The premise of the essay is how a day alone away from everyday life can do us good. Angelou refers to such a day as a “spring tonic.” A sort of restorative reset for the body, mind, and spirit. I can’t disappear with no contact with my family and job for 24 hours, as she suggests. However, I can implement the principles of Angelou’s day away.

“A day away acts as a spring tonic. It can dispel rancor, transform indecision, and renew the spirit.”

-Maya Angelou

For my day away, I scanned the offerings at the Francis House of Prayer in Allentown, New Jersey, in hopes they’d be running a session. Yes! They were offering a morning session entitled “God is Here: Do You Not Perceive It?”

The session focused on holy noticing, taking time to be still and fully present. In that discipline of quieting the spirit and paying attention, we can sense God more clearly and connect with Him more deeply. The session also addressed what obstacles can prevent us from noticing and being fully present. They include:

• Busyness
• Inattention
• Distractions
• Fear
• Expectations
• Waiting
• Sameness/Predictability

These obstacles keep us focused on the wrong things and hinder us from being fully present in the moment. As I considered which of these stumbling blocks apply to me, I realized all of them plague me. Depending on the day or season of my life, each of these obstacles stands smack-dab between me and a closer walk with God. I can’t sense and notice what He wants to show me when they’re in the way.

Building the “noticing muscle”

We did an exercise where we went outside onto the grounds of the prayer house and simply noticed whatever God brought to our attention. The variety of spring plants blooming and sprouting at different stages and phases struck me. Hellebores were in all their glory. Some tulips bloomed brightly, while others had only green buds. Siberian Irises poked green leaves from the ground with nary a bud in sight. Each plant was growing in its own time and own way at God’s command. What a profound spiritual lesson during a simple walk in the garden.

Birdsong lilted through the air, from the powerful song of the Carolina Wren in a holly bush to the far-off call of the Laughing Gull soaring high above the horse farm next door. Each creature singing a unique hymn to the Creator, yet creating a symphony at the same time. Just like us, our hearts lift in praise and worship in different ways, with unique gifts and expressions of love.

I even noticed lichen clinging to the bark of an Eastern White Pine, and God quickened to me how its survival there depended on the foundation to which it had attached itself. Revelations and reminders, one after another, washed over me in a simple fifteen-minute walk in the garden.

These loving moments of wisdom from the Father would not have come had I not been intentional about looking around me and listening carefully. In our bustling lives, we simply don’t have the bandwidth or presence of mind to pay close attention like this. It must be intentional. Set aside moments to notice–smelling, seeing, hearing, touching, and tasting God’s gifts in the present moment.

Reflect and examine

After our walkabout, our session leader explained the principles of the Examen prayer, popularized by Saint Ignatius. I’d done this previously, but had fallen out of the habit. It’s a wonderful way of noticing, practicing gratitude, and reflecting on each day—a rear-view mirror of sorts. Many do the Examen in the evening before bed, though another time of day may be better for others. The steps are:

1. Place yourself in God’s presence (in the place/posture that suit you best).
2. Name several things you are grateful for from today.
3. Review the events of the day to recap and reflect with intention.
4. Ask for forgiveness upon review/reflection of the day.
5. Prepare for tomorrow by asking God for what you need for the day ahead.

This beautiful reflective practice and prayer build our “noticing muscles” and help us engage thoughtfully with God and our daily experiences.

After my wonderful morning session, I treated myself to a meal at a local luncheonette. Rockabilly music, a cheese-slathered hot dog, and a small ice cream were the things I paid attention to at lunchtime. Yes, holy noticing of the gift of a guilty-pleasure lunch was part of my day away.

If you can’t get a whole day away, try to find an afternoon, hour, or even fifteen minutes where you can escape and just practice the art of holy noticing. Where do you see God in those moments? What is He speaking to your heart? Try to be still and examine the day with gratitude. It’s a skill we must develop and does not come naturally to most. I pray you will engage with God, noticing ways He is all around you.

With Love and Gratitude,