"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
That sounds like an interesting book. I love how you found it serendipitously just a few days after you wrote your post about other little things that thrill you.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a very intriguing book. I know that walks with my grandchildren are slow and full of observations.
ReplyDeleteWalks with toddlers are fascinating. My youngest had to stop everywhere he found a creepy crawly and talk to it. We never got very far!
ReplyDeleteI was surprised to read the John Burroughs quote at the head of the post. Surprised because just 2 weeks ago, this quote caught my attention:
ReplyDeleteSometimes, we need to go back to go forwards.
Sometimes, we think we're done with something, or that we've seen it all and that we're now ready for something totally new. And we search for that newness in unexplored frontiers. Sometimes, that is indeed God's will. But sometimes, He calls to us to return to old roads and havens we know like the back of our hand, and to find the gems He has hidden there among the familiar.
Brenda, you inspired me to put this book on my Amazon WL (since it's so close to Christmas), but I'm not sure I can wait. I think I'm observant when I'm out walking, but you inspire me to try to be more so. Earlier today, as I walked out to my garden to water a few things that are still growing, I noticed the crunching of leaves underfoot - that weren't there just a few days ago. It was one of those delightful moments I'm glad I noticed.
ReplyDeleteNoticing. It is a skill and an art, I think, and something that, with intention, we can learn to do. Thank you for this inspiration today!
ReplyDeleteWow! Now I want to read that book!
ReplyDeleteThanks Bren, for sharing about it!
Deanna Rabe
Hello Brenda, thank you for sharing about this book. I think I shall look for it at my library. I can always learn more about noticing as I take my necessary morning walks. To see things through a young child's eyes (or to try to remember my own childhood view of wonders) would certainly be a good thing!
ReplyDelete