I can see it now

Early mornings are rare for me. And by early I mean being out of the house before 8am. But in the past week I've had more than one morning this early and it's got me thinking again about Remarkable Things. Last year a friend said to me--Every day I try and find one remarkable thing, to make the day stand out in my mind, to make each day special. And for awhile last year I did this and started to notice many small remarkable things--the way light glints off steel girders at a train station, fox prints in the snow...

And this year it is time again for me to take up looking, or as I've recently been reminded of in my PhD research training program, 'Noticing'. 'Noticing' is the act of being with something and seeing what strikes you. It doesn't mean you have to find meaning in everything, nor that you have to analyse. But for me it does mean being, in, the, world, more, solidly, more, presently. (excuse my use of Sharon-Olds-esque comma strings).

So it began last week, but alas, I did not have time to blog about it. But I did get ahold of a tiny tiny notebook to carry around with me so I can now 'notice' and bring these noticings here.


So I'm armed with notebook and pen and I've already got a list of things. And it's already working its magic again. Each day I find many remarkable things, because now I'm more present and open to it. This morning it was the sky out my window. Yesterday it was some interesting paint splashes on the ground (and a particularly nice chocolate brownie). Wednesday it was the shape of someone's thumb, a nice pair of glasses on the 38 bus...

And of course this brings me to mentioning that about two weeks ago I discovered a blog (through a very very roundabout way) of someone who notices 3 Beautiful Things everyday, and from reading her blog I've also deduced by the little details she notices, that we must live quite near each other geographically. Small world. But one of such beauty.


yes I can see it, I can see it now...