I listened to a BBC program about so called “Thankful Villages”; 52 villages that amazingly saw all their men / boys return from WW1, and 14 of which even managed the same in WW2.  It is fabulous to learn that some places were untouched by the slaughter.  What interested me is that it took some while, and an awful lot of work, for people to realise that these places existed.  The reason is that we are programmed to see things that are happening, and it takes a very different sort of person to see what isn’t happening.  Conan Doyle wrote about this in his book ‘Silver Blaze’, a mystery about the disappearance of a famous racehorse and the murder of the horse’s trainer. Sherlock Homes solves the mystery in part by recognizing that no one that he spoke to in his investigation remarked that they had heard barking from the watchdog during the night.

Most of us are not quite so alert to things that we don’t notice.  For example, if you deal with a business where nothing goes wrong, or if you work in an office where there is no politicking or bitching.  You can learn an awful lot from what you don’t see or hear, the thing is is spend a little time shifting your awareness to scan for those things.  Communication, and what isn’t communicated is all about what you pay attention to.

So whilst these villages are are giving thanks this Sunday for the return of their menfolk, if you work in an environment free from strife, take time to celebrate that and work to preserve it; the same goes if you are living in a happy family or a good marriage.  These things are usually the result of people consistently doing the right things and this takes work and effort.  Celebrate it!