There’s something about a drizzly stroll. I was in a historic area of the city, and the people I was meeting were running late. There were plenty of shops to duck into, but it was a warm day for late February, and I was barely getting damp. A little mist wasn’t going to hurt me. The fresh air felt good. I wanted to explore, so I walked. 

I had no agenda. I wasn’t on much of a timetable—until I got the call from the people I was meeting. I didn’t have a lot weighing on my mind. I was in an unfamiliar and fairly unique area, so I opened my eyes and ears and paid attention. It’s always interesting to me how much we can learn by simply observing. And it’s not that we learn only about others but also about ourselves. There is a lot to appreciate. 

I’m not sure we notice much anymore. Well, that’s not true. We notice a lot but sometimes it’s the wrong things. We notice a lot on social media. We notice what we disagree with. We notice how people have wronged us or how they’ve wronged anyone or done anything wrong—according to our perspective. We’re poised to pounce. And maybe it’s not with social media, but it can still be social, political, relational. And often, it’s hypocritical as well. We don’t like to admit it, but we’re inconsistent. We have double standards. We pick and choose when it’s okay to judge and when it’s not, when it’s comfortable and when it’s not, when it serves us and when it doesn’t. 

We’re always going to have filters. We have backgrounds, comforts, beliefs, and assumptions that create filters, but they aren’t exclusive. I grew up where screen doors were common and windows were often open so the breeze easily blew through the window screens. As long as the screens don’t get filthy, clogged with dirt, they allow a flow in both directions. So can our minds.

As I walked the historic area, I took in the fresh air and tried to keep a fresh perspective. I did my best to use a clean screen, so air could flow freely in and out, and it did. How could I tell? Because it’s always refreshing. Challenging, but refreshing. My walk felt brisker. Conversations seemed clearer. Expressions on faces seemed more intense. The colors were vibrant. Details on buildings and store fronts popped. The drizzle didn’t dampen my attitude. A few people shuffled inside shops for protection, but many continued along the sidewalks. Perhaps they were experiencing something similar to me. Perhaps the drizzle was clearing the filters and making everything a bit more clear. 

Whether it drizzles today or not, consider the filters you’re noticing the world through. Surely there is some purifying that can be done to give you some clarity and alertness. We will miss out on some things, because our time and attention is limited, but we don’t have to add to our limits because we simply don’t stay alert. We can be more intentional.