Observing Trifles... or the Spectacle of the Ordinary

"To find new things,

take the path you took yesterday."

JOHN BURROUGHS

Following on the heels of last week's post about little thrills, I happened upon a book during my recent visit to the library that has taken me further into this theme. Titled On Looking by Alexandra Horowitz (2013),

". . . she shows us how to see the spectacle of the ordinary—to practice, as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle put it, “the observation of trifles.” Structured around a series of eleven walks the author takes, mostly in her Manhattan neighborhood, On Looking features experts on a diverse range of subjects, including an urban sociologist, the well-known artist Maira Kalman, a geologist, a physician, and a sound designer. Horowitz also walks with a child and a dog to see the world as they perceive it. . . . Page by page, Horowitz shows how much more there is to see—if only we would really look." excerpt from Amazon description

I was delighted by the chapter in which Alexandra shares about going for walks with her toddler son. She soon comes to see that her idea of going for a walk is far different than his idea. She slows down, begins to listen and pay attention to the world as he was showing how he perceived it. Having learned about the letter "O", what it looked like and how it sounded, her young son soon began discovering "O's" everywhere - in the sky, on the trees, in the litter along the sidewalk, in words on advertising boards. From there he grew beguiled by all the triangle shapes hidden in plain view. It was a time of wondrous discoveries for one little boy and his momma. 

Then there is the chapter where Alexandra walks with illustrator-artist Maira Kalman (I wrote about her book Women Holding Things in a post HERE). If you know anything of Maira's work, you won't be surprised by what Alexandra learns from her friend's observations and interactions with the world as they walk.

I'm only part way through the book so there's lots more to discover. If you want to ramp up your observation skills while out walking in your neighbourhood or wilderness area, I think you'd be inspired by Alexandra's book.

On that note, I turn away from my computer screen to my study window to discover the sun is shining against cloudless blue skies. Only a breeze flutters leaves still clinging to the trees. And the chickadees are busy at the large sunflower head that grew voluntarily in our garden this past summer. They are methodical about stripping the seeds from the head, going around the edges seed by seed towards the centre. Mmm... next spring we might have to sow more sunflower seeds on purpose. There's a real thrill to watching our little feathered friends.

Taking inspiration from Alexandra's example, I'm off for a walk around my block. I wish I had a little toddler to take with me, but I'll try to be observant as I go with Me, Myself, and I. Please take care, beautiful friends, we'll see you next week.

❦

Wishing you glimpses of heaven in unexpected places,

Brenda

Photo credits:

Image by Brenda Leyland @ It's A Beautiful Life

Autumn Blogging Schedule:

I post on Fridays