Are you aware? Have you ever wondered how you are perceived by others as you go through your day? I am guilty of abandoning self awareness...self awareness is WORK, it's constantly monitoring ones own actions and thoughts, and that takes soooo much energy.  Does anyone have that much energy and self discipline to activate self awareness 24/7? I would say not, it is sooo much easier to move through the day on autopilot.

However, self awareness does offer opportunities not offered while on autopilot....

I was doing my usual photoshoot at the Humane Society on New Years Day, my head involved with the usual issues of lighting, backgrounds and posing. I felt the day was going well, my thoughts moving on to the rest of the chores and demands that will require my attention in the remainder of the day and fully ignoring the present.

I sat down to work on editing the days shoot, my thoughts still bopping around past and future, not really registering the present until I reached this pic:

I had NOT noticed this cats BEAUTIFUL eyes during the shoot, the intensity, the questions, observing...I missed the moment, and I missed a chance to be engaged and involved. 

I regret missing the moment of this beautiful stare and all of the associated emotions, the awe, the delight, the deference to the natural beauty. 

I am lucky this time that I captured a missed moment with my camera, but I realize there have been countless moments that I have missed entirely, moments I will never experience and forever lost.