(Cue “Mission Impossible” them music)

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to practice using your peripheral vision, act on any information you gather from your eyes, ears, nose or sense of ki, and to be persistent in discovering the source.

So, what does this mean? It means as you go about your daily business pay attention to what you see, hear, smell and sense. If you see something move out of the corner of your eye (peripheral vision) turn to see what it is. If you hear something, find the source of what is making the noise. If you smell something that you don’t recognize search for what is creating it. If you sense something out of the ordinary don’t dismiss it, find out what is causing it and don‘t stop until you discover what it is. If you can’t determine the source just by looking, tell an adult and let them help you. By paying attention and locating the sources of what you see, hear, smell or sense it gives you the advantage of extra time. For example, you’re walking down your neighborhood street when you hear a dog barking wildly. You turn to see where the dog is and notice that he is behind a fence, but jumping up and down aggressively and getting close to jumping over the fence. Because you noticed this you increase your speed in order to get home before the dog gets over the fence. Had you not noticed the dog’s aggressive behavior and how close he was to jumping the fence, you may not have walked any faster. This could have been quite a surprise if the dog got over the fence and came after you. This is just a made up example, but I hope you can see the usefulness of paying attention. What kind of examples can you come up with, real or made up, where paying attention to your surroundings would give you extra time to react and/or avoid a dangerous situation?

Now, here’s an important point for all kids concerning finding the source of what you see, hear, smell or sense. DO NOT GO LOOKING FOR THE SOURCE BY YOURSELF! If you notice something out of the ordinary you might be able to just turn your head and see what it is, but if you can’t identify it immediately tell an adult and let them locate the source. This is especially true if the noise, smell or whatever is outside or in another part of the house. You can be an invaluable help in alerting your parents when you notice something that is not normal. Don’t dismiss those “weird” feelings. Be persistent (don’t give up) in identifying the source or having someone else find the source. Even if it turns out to be nothing, you have to practice paying attention to your senses and it is ALWAYS better to be safe rather than sorry.

Now, go about your business and pay attention!

Teresa Mastison Sensei