What does awareness mean to you?? My answer to the Tribesteemup bi-weekly question...

This is my response to the Tribesteemup bi-weekly question "What does awareness mean to you?". There are so many different levels to being aware that I'm finding this question pretty difficult to narrow down. But regardless, I'd like to talk about a few types of awareness that I think about a lot on my day to day...

Sensory Awareness

This one is a mixed bag for me but I work on it daily. I think because I am a musician, I often times catch myself running music through my head instead of paying attention to my surroundings! It's kind of comical. It takes me a while to map out a new city or remember landmarks. I also get lost in thought sometimes and forget to enjoy the moment, but I work on that constantly because I think it's very important to be as present as possible in the moment, and it's easy to miss many of the good things about life if you mess this one up.

Interestingly I've always been pretty locked in with nature and aware of the different cycles going on around me.. and if I live on a piece of land I know every little corner. I was always like that as a kid too. I notice everything blooming in the spring, dying off in the winter.. when certain insects arrive. What the crows and other critters are up to... stuff like that. I am also aware of the subtle nature of life itself, and I'm learning more and more how so many living systems are silent, invisible, and remarkable at their ability to change the face of the planet. I'm aware of the delicate intricacies that make up the natural world and as I've developed this awareness, it has been very rewarding but also sad because I can now see clearly how out of balance so much of the planet is and how devastating it is to higher forms of life on the planet. For example plants and animals cannot adapt to drastic changes in the environment the same way as a lot of microbial live and arthropods can. So, I find this kind of awareness really special and valuable to me as a person

Social Awareness

This one is such a pandora's box I feel like I can only touch on it briefly. This is mainly due to my lack of understanding and the never ending learning process that I am working through in regards to this stuff. For me, there is both the considerate side of things and then the defensive. I try my best to be aware of others feelings and intentions, good or bad. Something I also try to be aware of is the dynamics put forth in every conversation or interaction I have. I want people to be comfortable and be able to be themselves around me, and also be able to speak their minds and be a part of whatever may be going on. I love to learn from others, especially people who are compassionate leaders. However, I try to watch out for people who might want to bring me down, manipulate me, etc.. or just generally negative type people. Unfortunately I spent many years of my life letting these kind of people take advantage or cause me emotional strife. I'm not super into astrology but I definitely fit the sensitive Pisces mold and have just come to accept that. Nowadays I stay resolute in who I am, don't get walked on and I'm comfortable being myself. Honestly it feels incredibly liberating have that kind of awareness and understanding of myself.

Environmental Awareness

There have been certain times in my life where I've found the dire situation our planet faces and that we face as a species to be completely overwhelming. However, I've come to the realization that even though I may not be able to change everything, I can at least change some things. If I can live my life in a way that has a positive effect on the natural world around me, that is actually... kind of huge. This is one of the main reasons I got into farming. It has always been so difficult for me to find a way to make a living in our capitalistic society that doesn't compromise my values when it comes to the natural world, but farming kinda works. Except for the making money part, still trying to get that rolling! Haha.

@Tribesteemup is a community of like minded content creators here on Steem that was put together by @kennyskitchen and helps lesser known or new to Steem people like myself, as well as established creators, to have incentive to create insightful, unique and interesting content for the greater Steem community and beyond. I am very grateful to be a part of this group and encourage you to check out content by all the other great creators in Tribesteemup.

Thanks to Tribesteemup for the great question and thanks for reading!