I was at my favorite happy hour spot, Cafe Van Cleef, in Oakland, California and happened to notice this:
I’ve been to this bar many times, and I’ve never noticed this lone light bulb hanging over the bar. I’ve sat right in front of it and not seen it. And then, last night, I thought to myself, “Huh. Look at that light bulb. It changes colors.” Now it’s my new favorite thing in the bar…until my next visit, and my next new favorite thing.
I say this because Cafe Van Cleef is jam-packed with stuff. Weird, strange, where-did-they-find-that stuff. It’s an eye-feast inside and will keep you entertained for hours as you sip on their awesome, fresh-squeezed greyhounds.
Okay, so now I sound like a plug for Cafe Van Cleef, so let me get back to my real intention in this blog post: noticing things. I’m a super visual person who really pays attention to the surface of the world. Sight gives me pleasure. I make it a habit to notice little things as I move through my day. To me, that stuff is like candy. I can be in the midst of the most terrible afternoon, and then I notice a beautiful San Francisco sky or an odd combination of objects (like a giant stuffed animal horse left in a shopping cart or a cluster of mannequins through a window), and I’m reminded that there is always wonder around me. Things feel better for a moment. Or, if life was already feeling good that day, it amplifies. In a strange way, this habit of looking is kind of like my form of prayer or meditation. It’s a practice that keeps me sane and loving the world even when it beats me up.
I use my blog, photos, and Twitter to share some of those moments – in hopes that, maybe, hopefully, some of them reach inside a few of you, too.
Great post – I fall in and out of good habits on this. Travel helps me a great deal – when I go away and return I find I notice all sorts of little things. I pay more attention because the old suddenly seems new, even if just for a moment.
I’ve also become fond of being idle. I love to read, and read, and read, but there’s something to be said for just sitting around, at a bar or a cafe, and just watch people and things. There’s so much interesting stuff everywhere if I can just remember I have to be in a state of mind to notice.
Anyway, thanks for reminding to me to remind myself to notice some things right now
Thanks, Scott. You know, one of the main reasons I like travel is because I feel like I’m more present and “see” more — everything is so new, I can’t help but notice. I forget that when you come back home, the same thing happens – great point.
Idleness is so underrated in our culture. I have a big window in my living room that looks out into the Berkeley Hills. Smack in the center of my view is one tall, lanky palm tree that stands all by itself high above a landscape of buildings. That palm tree is probably the strongest initiator of idleness in my life. Sometimes, I’ll be doing something in my living room and my eyes will pause upon that tree – and then suddenly I realize I’ve been standing there staring at it for a long time. A lot of my “noticing” happens while I’m moving through the world, so those still palm tree moments really stand out to me.
Thanks for reminding me about stillness.