Finding Extraordinary in the Ordinary: A Daily Practice in Awe
Let’s give a simple personal practice in awe and wonder a go. It’s great for personal health, wellbeing, and access to joy and gratitude.
It’s called “finding extraordinary in the ordinary.”
This pure, accessible exercise is one you can do on your own — anywhere, anytime.
You can go for a walk or stay indoors. Stillness or moving, it’s up to you.
NOTICING
The key part is your awareness, noticing where you are shining the light of your attention and intention. Aim to carve out at least ten minutes for this full exercise. Be present, with the goal of losing attachment to your “self” and your narration of thoughts. Surrender to the noticing.
Allow your gaze, or your hearing, your taste, or your touch, your sense of smell, and perhaps the swirl of all your senses at once, rest with the quality of noticing something deeply in your environment. Pay attention to appreciating it, just as it is, in the moments you rest your attention on it. Stay with it in your focus. Allow yourself to marvel at it, curiously, with fresh eyes, yes, attending to recognizing the very special-ness of it. This could be something you see every day, animate or inanimate, and it can quite literally be anything.
How often do we pause to notice and appreciate what can then emerge with all of its unique qualities, its way of be-ing, in a way that moves us to awe?
SEEING BEYOND CATEGORIES — THE WITNESS
Robert Pirsig talks about this in the book Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, in the section when he mentions quality, and “this tree” being different and distinct from “a tree” categorically. So, how do we see beyond categories, and allow ourselves to be moved by the act of bearing witness to the everyday awe that surrounds us? We are part of the exchange.
It also comes up in Tim Brown’s work with IDEO.
He says, “Once a Day, Deeply Observe the Ordinary.”
What’s happening in your own body as you practice this? Notice your before and after state of peace, awareness, and meditative state. Notice the quality of your mind, your muscles, your posture. No judgment. Just be with this exercise, and imprint what you feel emotionally, too, so that you’re ready to call to mind anything you would like to share about it in the future.
As ever, en-joy!
Caitlin
p.s. For a bonus, here’s an Ignite talk I gave a few weeks ago in SF about this practice of finding the extraordinary of awe and wonder in ordinary moments:
