Perception

   Conversations with people this week have encouraged  me to consider how much our beliefs about the world influence what we are able to perceive.  What does it mean to perceive something anyway?  According to my big red American Heritage Dictionary, it means to become aware of something directly through any of the senses; especially to see or hear.  It can also mean to take notice of something by observing or detecting it.  And finally, it means to become aware of something  in one's mind; to achieve an understanding of it. The word comes from Latin root words which mean "to seize wholly" or to "see all the way through". This brought to mind an experience with the horses that occurred some time ago, but that illustrates how our thoughts influence our ability to "see all the way through". 
   On a cold spring day I was simply enjoying the company of Annie and the other two horses while cleaning up poop.  Annie is very aware of her surroundings and is always the first one to spot anything unusual or interesting.  As I was working, Annie walked to one edge of the paddock and raised her head.  She lifted and lowered her head a few times, trying to focus her eyes on something only she could see in the distance.  I walked to her side and faced in the same direction, trying to see what she was looking at.  I stretched my head and neck up, imitating her stance.  I strained my eyes, searching the high desert landscape where we live for whatever had riveted her attention.  By this time, one of the other horses had come over, his body facing the same direction and his attention focused on whatever it was that I couldn't see.  I decided to stop trying so hard and instead closed my eyes for a moment.and asked softly that I be allowed to see what they were seeing.  In effect, I changed my thinking from trying, which implies failing, to allowing which implies letting something happen. When I opened my eyes I noticed a flash of red as my neighbor's child wielded her plastic sled and wound through the scrubby juniper trees as she climbed the hill a good distance away. Annie's pointed attention gave me the chance to discover a subtle difference in my thinking that influenced my perception.  And I thought I was just going outside to clean up poop!