Living in the Nooks & Crannies of Everyday Life
It's amazing really.
Something as simple as just leaving your phone at home. Feeling like you're taking blinders off and seeing the world completely unfiltered for the first time in a long time.
Being able to be present and witness all of these surreptitious little details, hiding in plain sight between the tiny
N
O of
O everyday life
K seen but not
S witnessed
heard but not
& listened to
c r a n n i e s
I don't mean to say that you CAN'T be present in everyday life while having a smartphone on you, just that it's definitely a lot more challenging. By leaving mine at home I completely eliminate the ability to even engage with the phone, bypassing my compulsion to needlessly check it.
Right now I'm waiting for the bus and I only have a rough idea of what time it is and how long it'll be until the next bus.
Sure, checking the bus time is a completely practical thing to do on your phone. But, if you're anything like me, it's easy to have an errant thought lead you down a digital rabbit-hole whenever you have your phone out and handy.
When was the last time you went out not knowing the exact time or having Google Maps to tell you where you're at and how to get to where you're going?
Now, is this practical for
< <-- E V E R Y B O D Y -> >
no
of course not
I'm atypical in the fact that I have the luxury of not having a boss or any other pressing responsibilities. It's not required that myself and others I know to have a direct line in and out at all times.
However
it is possible for even the most technologically tied-in of us to eck out a space during the day where we put our phone on silent and give yourself a private respite (or social) space away from the incessant demand of the digital space upon your time and mental energy.
Take back your attention even if only for an hour or two.
A time to be idle, let your mind wander or to be completely engaged and present with your good friends and family.
Everyone deserves, hell, NEEDS that time to themselves no matter their job or social position.
So
I stand here at this bus stop and forget about worrying when the bus comes and just allow myself to marinate in
completely
SOAK
in
...the little
d e t a i l s
...the flutter of the American flag atop the local Elk's building
A lone seagull soaring over the stoplights of the instersection...
the
s l o w
almost imperceptible
arival
of
the clouds
and
the sudden transition
from
SUNNY --> o ver cas t
a dozen chick a dee s
scouring the front lawn of a nearby house
for bugs
bouncing, bobbing, hopping
accross the grass
the soft
tink
tink
tink
of a wind chime in the distance P
U
...fallen leaves blow past me as the wind picks
It doesn't even take only a smartphone to be blind to this world of subtle sights, sounds and feels
just to be lost
in the depths of
one's
own
head
C
R
U
S
H
I
N
G our ability to
experience
our lives
with
~~~ F U L L N E S S ~~~
...and now, here I am
at a part of the creek
I've never been to here in town
this beautiful mountain stream comes snaking down from the peak to the south and drains out into the bay.
I'd taken a side-street at random and noticed the trail winding down to the creek. The creek cuts accross town at various points but this has to be the best little nook for the creek I've found yet.
It feels good good to have that explorer feeling again that feeling like there's still unexplored places
like being young again and walking the steeets of the BIG CITY, ignorant of the layout and points of interest both obvious and hidden
not knowing the geography of a place
OR
to know it but still have it reveal new places or ways of seeing the same places
give me a town without a map
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