Rearranging Furniture, Catching Sunsets, and Noticing Everything
Hey there!
If I ever write a book, I want to call it “Glimpses”. It’s one of my favorite words. So it was kind of magical to me when I looked up the definition of “Glimpses,” and this was an example they gave of how to use it. That first glimpse of the Pacific when heading to the Oregon coast, with the window down and that salty, mossy, piney air hits your face. There is nothing like it.
noun | plural noun: glimpses - a momentary or partial view.
"she caught a glimpse of the ocean"
Being a creative person, I spend an inordinate amount of time, but still not as much as I crave, in my head, noticing things. I notice how light flows across the surface of things. I notice the juxtaposition of textures. I stop and admire the details on the houses. I point out great colors, beautiful details, and how gorgeous decay can be to my incredibly patient husband.
That’s what the book would be about and have photos of. The little things. It would be a cool scratch and sniff too…remember those? Do they still make those, or are they toxic?…. which would explain a lot. I had a Winnie the Pooh book that had a honeysuckle flower, and I could not get close enough to my nose. What the hell was in that!? 🙂 I digress.
The picture above was from last year's birthday trip to Newport with Jeff, Anita, and Steve. When we arrived at the VRBO and after I arranged all of the furniture 🙄, we went on the beach to walk Chicken Nugget and Bonnie. And to prove how annoying I am on a walk, here is a tiny example of the bajillion pictures I took. Then they had to listen to me go on about how cool the lighting was as it glistened on the little tributary.
And then we had to discuss the verdant display of green and how I just can’t understand when people say they don’t like green! That was a rant they ended up walking away from. I get a little “passionate,” which translates to me spending a fair amount of time talking to myself.
And this last picture was taken from our VRBO as we toasted another trip around the sun for me and I bitched about poor furniture placement.
Side rant…when you have a giant picture window facing the Pacific Ocean, please, for the love of all that is holy, don’t put all of your comfortable furniture facing away from said picture window toward the TV that we all have at home 🙄. This is a VRBO at the coast. How do we know? Because you have signs on the wall making it clear where the beach is, as well as little lighthouses in case we thought we were actually in Las Vegas or something.
Anyway, we came here for the VIEW. Please arrange the comfy furniture so your guest can enjoy the view without a full overhaul of your space plan. Sorry…this makes me a bit crazy, and it’s a running joke how long it will take before I start moving things around in rentals, view or no view!
As we sat on the least comfortable furniture but in the best configuration set up to take in the gorgeous sunset, we toasted to life. We talked about all that we saw on our walk, and I took approximately 4,693 pictures of the sun going down. I was noticing every time it hit a cloud differently or the grass on the beach. I was lost in the moment. I was trying not to let anything go unnoticed.
In the Spring, it’s particularly easy to notice the sweet little things, and I encourage you to take the time to. We speed through this life too fast. I encourage you to challenge yourself to take notice of at least three uniquely beautiful things. Beautiful to you.
It would be cool if you journaled it, but whatever, you don’t need to add anything to your to-do list. Share your observations with someone. Have them share theirs with you. Or, just take quiet notes to yourself.Take a minute to stop and take in whatever it is.
On this year's trip around the sun, I wish for myself the same that I wish for you. That you all are good to yourselves. That you slow down a bit, take time with friends and family. Take time for yourself. Do what you need to feed your soul. Walk outside. Breathe really slowly and deeply.
Don’t do anything you don’t want to do. Life is too short and also too beautiful to waste on regret. Cheers to you all, and don’t forget to notice the little things!
‘Til next time,
Arlene