Perception

“Perception.” To refer to it, I wanted to make sure I had the definition correct in my head. So, of course, I Googled it. There were many sub definitions of “Perception”. I’m going to go with the “psychology, zoology” (?!) definition here: “The neurophysiological processes, including memory, by which an organism becomes aware of and interprets external stimuli.”

Primal perception. How we, as a living, breathing, feeling person absorb something, anything, external and manifest it in our mind and/or soul.

You can look at the same exact picture every morning at 6:59 am for 5 days straight. It may make you feel elation and joy for 3 days in a row and then indifference on the 4th day. Repulsion by the 5th. Why? Why do we vacillate? Why are we “all over the map” when the landscape hasn’t changed at all?

One reason we perceive the way we do is because of experience. Connections. They say that smell is our strongest sense that can directly associate stimuli to an emotion:

“Smells get routed through your olfactory bulb, which the smell-analyzing region in your brain. It’s closely connected to your amygdala and hippocampus, brain regions that stimulate memory and emotion.”

I completely agree with this and can tell you, without hesitation, that there is certain fabric softener scent that takes me back to a very happy place in my youth. ❤️

But I digress… In the here and now, are we really giving our external stimuli the clean slate it/they individually deserve? Or are we immediately evaluating it/them based on our experience with something/someone else?

Please don’t confuse this with “learning from your mistakes” or “paying heed to red flags” because I thoroughly believe in both. I’m simply referring to being Open. Yes, I capitalize important words and this is an important one for me. Are we Open to the opportunities and people that come into our life? Open to paths we never considered before someone else showed us the way? Or, are we so firm and staunch in our path that we aren’t paying attention anymore?

Be mindful of your perceptions and try being Open. It may bring you joy in unexpected places, like the fabric softener aisle.

Love yourself more tonight,
Stace