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Walking Right By: Time to Notice the Unnoticed
Taking walks are a part of our everyday lives, whether we’re walking home, walking to the store, walking our pets, or simply just taking a walk to get some air. Although the sad truth is that these walks often just become a part of our routine, and getting to our destination becomes our only focus, and all the while we end up missing out on enjoying the actual walk and all that it offers. Living in today’s technological world, when we are walking, our attentions are with our gadgets instead of with all the precious beauty that is around us and that deserves our attention. As we walk there are so many little things we pass by without noticing. These small details like a fresh field of green grass, a blooming flower, a bird slowly flying by, rain gliding down a crispy leaf, a colorful sunset, a shiny flowing river, a clear blue sky, they all represent the true beauty of life, and we often just walk right on by. All the nature that’s around us, all that life that goes unnoticed, they’re all the little treasures that add to the wonders of life. They’re all passing treasures that we go through life not noticing, but just simply passing by. It’s time that we notice all the unnoticed, and not only notice it, but embrace it, because it is the small things we miss out on in life that are really the big things.
A fresh field of green grass. It might just seem like plain grass to some people and like something not worth looking at, which is why it often goes unnoticed. Although when you’re walking by do you notice the shiny glare reflecting on the grass from the sun? Do you notice that pure green color? Do you notice the smell of the grass after a rainfall or after just being cut? Do you notice the way the grass moves as the wind passes through?
A blooming flower. Compared to a fully bloomed flower people might not see the beauty. For some people a blooming flower is just a process and a step a flower must take before becoming beautiful and so they just pass right on by it without any notice. Although do you notice the way the petals are spreading apart and that color starting to burst through? Do you see how the soil beneath us could create this growing life?
A butterfly. Whether there’s a butterfly in the air in front of us or one hidden within the tree branches waiting on a leaf, these beautiful creatures are all around us and we often fail to see them and all their magnificence. Do you notice the curious detailed pattern on a butterfly or the way that it slowly drifts as it flies, or even the mystery behind the fact that this butterfly was not to long ago a caterpillar and came out of a cocoon as this new miraculous enchanting creature?
A bird flying by. We can’t deny we see birds everywhere, but the truth is we’re often just looking and not really truly seeing. Whether they’re walking on the street beside us or flying up in the sky above us, they’re all around us and yet we don’t acknowledge the beauty they hold. Do you notice the movement of their wings in the air, or the way they sometimes often just glide through the sky air?
The trees and branches all around us. No matter where we are, there is life around us, life glowing in all its beauty and just waiting to be noticed. For many, trees have just become these boring things that are taller than us, and so we just ignore them and all their greatness. Although try looking up at them, try embracing the mysterious way in which their branches are all tangled up, the way that flowers grow all around it and how life is creating more life, the way their branches glide in the wind, or even the stillness they have on some days.
The ground in front of us. When walking it’s often not about the walk itself, it’s not about enjoying where we’re walking, but rather it’s just about getting to our destination. Sometimes as a distraction we even walk with the screens of our phones in our face and miss out on all the small but precious things that we pass as we walk. As you walk do you ever notice the ground ahead of you, this path your walking on, or the way in which the ground is so distinctly cracked, but still just seems so perfect in that imperfect way?
Flowers. This life that has bloomed and formed into this distinct shape along with its distinct color, with all its beauty, we still fail to see it. We don’t need to stop and stare in order to embrace its beauty. To just simply notice it as your walking by and acknowledge how it beams with life, appreciate its colors, and realize that these flowers are all around us. This world holds all this beauty within it and we go though life rarely appreciating it.
The clouds in the sky. Have you ever just looked up to the sky and taken it all in, taken in all of its beauty and mysteriousness? Do you ever notice the colors above you, the way you have to look closely in order to notice the clouds drifting by? Can you see how the clouds sometimes separate and form specific shapes, or how the clear sky is trying to force its way through the foggy clouds? Do you see that glow of light reflecting on parts of the clouds or those clouds that are surrounded by darkness?
A ladybug. There are all these living breathing creatures around us, passing through our lives, and we rarely pay much attention. A ladybug is small and sometimes hard to notice, but imagine all the other creatures that are much smaller and that we’ll never be able to see. As your walking by how many creatures are around you, hidden on a tree branch, walking on the soil beside you, sitting on a flower petal? If you look closely you’ll see these creatures in all their beauty, and you’ll realize they’re just like you, they’re just making their way. Have you ever noticed the gentleness in a ladybug’s movement, or how their polka dots are dispersed? Have you ever realized how they always have a way of surprising you and appearing somewhere when you least expect it? Listen, look, feel, can you sense all the amazing life around you?
A bird peacefully waiting by. We often fail to see the little things that make the world so alluring. Just like in this photograph the bird is at first not very noticeable, in life it is the little details that we miss out on that are in fact the most amazing. Do you notice the way the bird is sitting, that peaceful stillness it has? Do you see the way that the bird seems to be looking at something in the distance, and does the wonder of what that bird is thinking of in that moment cross your mind?
A bumblebee. These creatures and insects represent the life that is all around us. All these different forms of life may seem strange to us and not worth acknowledging because they’re not in our human form. Although the reality is their breathing and alive, they’re creatures trying to make it through the day just like us. Creatures that are part of the worlds existence, part of the worlds liveliness, and yet we don’t notice them. As your walking do you see the way that bumblebee is moving on that flower petal that’s beside you? Do you hear that buzzing sound? Do you acknowledge the stripes of black and yellow on its body?
Flowers slowly blooming on tree branches. The liveliness of a tree never ceases to amaze, as even after the tree is done growing, life continues to form through it, flower’s continue to bloom on it’s branches, its beauty never ends. When you’re walking by do you notice that burst of color that is peaking through the tree branches, or the way in which you see these tiny flower petals starting to show and you know that they will continue to grow more and more beautiful? Even for that briefest moment you’ve appreciated their beauty and you’ve been apart of their existence, and that is beauty in itself.
A leaf on the ground. When taking a walk and passing leaves, whether they’re hanging from a tree, falling down a tree, or simply laying on the ground, do you notice the amazing delight that it holds? Do you notice the sparkling colors that are beaming from the leaves, or the crispiness of a leaf on a dry day, or even the way in which rain glides down a leaf?
A sunset. The beauty of the sun is something that is beyond words. Every day it goes through this process, a sunrise, the sun in the sky, and a sunset. Stopping and taking the time to embrace all the wonders of the sun is priceless. Just appreciating a sunset makes you believe in all the beauty that the world has. We often ignore the beautiful view of a sunset and by doing that, we miss out on such indescribable beauty. Do you ever notice the gorgeous mixture of colors in the sky as the sun is setting, or that pure golden light in the distance that is slowly starting to fade?
A shiny flowing river. It’s crazy to think people can be walking beside a river and not take the time to enjoy its view, but the reality is many times that is the case. The rivers beauty goes unnoticed. Do you notice the sound of the river as it flows, how the trees leave a shadow on the water, the way the water always seems to sparkle, or the way in which the lights and the color of the sky reflect on it?
The architecture and all the views around us. As we’re walking we’re passing by so many indescribable views and we’re passing them without ever really taking the time to take it all in and embrace all the beauty around us. In this photograph, the view of the river and the clear blue sky above, along with the distant fading sunset, and the bridge crossing through, beams with beauty and it’s a view many would not stop to look at and embrace.
The clear blue sky. It’s rare that there’s not a cloud in the sky, and yet when there isn’t, we still don’t appreciate the sparkling blue sky and all of its clarity. This photograph overlooks the other side of the Montreal island, the clear blue sky surrounding, and the beaming river with all its reflection. Do you notice the way that all the elements that come together to create this amazing view, create a view that seems almost too perfect, like something that looks like it came straight from a dream?
The moon up in the sky. Looking up at the sky, whether it’s a starry sky or not, is beyond worthwhile, as the moon is always up there smiling down on you. Do you ever notice the way the moon always seems to follow you, like it’s always trying to remind you that you’re never alone in this sometimes scary and lonely world? Do you see how the shape of the glow that the moon has changes, and how the moon and all of its beauty has a sense of mystery to it?
