Noticing · · 3 min read
Exploring: The extraordinary in the ordinary
Curiosity begins when we pay attention. Every month, I share a small creative challenge designed to help us notice more, explore the unfamiliar, and discover something unexpected in everyday life. No special skills or equipment required. Just an open mind and a willingness to play.
There's something about hummingbirds, butterflies, and swallows that never fails to capture my attention; glitter moments when I have the chance to see them. In December 2022, my family and I spent a weekend in San Juan Capistrano, Southern California. I had wanted to visit its historic mission ever since our first trip to California, so finally finding myself there felt very special. Despite the weekend crowds and the town's popularity with visitors, I found a surprising sense of stillness amid all the activity.
Hummingbirds caught my eye, and images of hummingbirds and swallows seemed to be everywhere, particularly in the shop of the mission. They came in all shapes and sizes, made from different materials, and transformed into everything from decorative objects to tiny trinkets. I had to bring some home. These little birds have found their places on my desk, in my bathroom, and among the books on my shelves. To anyone else, they might be just decorative objects. To me, they are warm reminders of a place that felt magical, a moment in time, and a cherished family memory. They bring back images and the pleasant soothing feeling on my chest that beautiful coexistence of stillness and energy I experienced there.
These colorful little birds scattered around my home have become part of its familiar landscape. I no longer consciously notice them all the time. Sometimes, they have become almost invisible. But whenever I stop and really look at one, I get transported back to that December weekend in sunny California.
How many objects around us hold stories we have stopped paying attention to? How many memories, associations, and discoveries are quietly waiting on our shelves, desks, and windowsills? Perhaps our homes are already little museums. We just need to become curious visitors again.
Here comes my invitation for you and me to look closer, see differently, and discover the extraordinary in the everyday.
Would you accept it?
“Attention is the beginning of devotion.”