It might seem otherwise, but nothing stays the same. Not you, not me, not anything or anyone.
The world is always changing, and every moment is new. If you’re not seeing it, you probably need new glasses.
In the past twenty-four hours, the world you thought you knew has changed in an infinite number of ways.
Just look around the room you’re now in. It’s different than it was yesterday. A lamp shade has been tilted. There’s a book or a letter or a gum wrapper that wasn’t there the day before.
Look out your window or, better yet, step outside. Things have changed. The grass is slightly taller. Some leaves have landed on your driveway. Two birds you’ve never seen before are having a conversation in your neighbor’s yard.
Think about someone you think you know through and through. They’re no longer the same person. They’ve heard something, seen something, or done something they hadn’t the last time you spoke to them.
Last but not least, take a look in the mirror. You’ve changed. If you think you haven’t, you just haven’t been paying attention.
Get yourself a new pair of glasses. Start paying attention.
If you don’t have a journal or sketch book, I’d like to suggest you get one. They’re great tools for noticing new things.
Once you have one, try one or more of these exercises:
- Pick one thing like a tree, a flower bed, or your bedroom and take a good, long look at it. Notice everything you can about it, then draw it, write about it, or both. Then every now and then, look at it again and see if you see something new and repeat.
- Make it a regular practice to look for new developments in your spouse, your children, or anyone else you know. Are they wearing a new shirt, a new hair style, a new expression on their face? Have they mentioned something they’ve never mentioned before? Are they humming a tune you’ve never heard them hum before? It may be subtle, but trust me, there’s something new about them. Notice it, then draw it and write about it.
- Notice what’s new in you and record that too. What’s been getting your attention? Have you started a new project? Finished or dropped an old one? Have you had any new thoughts or ideas? Have you changed your beliefs or altered your point of view?
Keep doing this and you’ll notice what you’ve been missing. Your life will never be the same.
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