Last Monday, I posted a list of questions that seem to have no reasonable answers. (‘Course, if you’d be willin’ to settle for unreasonable answers – hey, we got plenty of those.)
Out of Place
The other day I drove by one of our neighborhood U.S. Post Offices and, well, if you’ll glance at the photo you’ll see what I saw. Yeah, I know; there’s nothing particularly special about the place with its somewhat uninspired architecture, concrete parking lot, and boring landscaping. But… something seemed to jump out at me as, I don’t know, a bit out of place.
A little later I drove by the same spot and took the time to really check out the scene again. Finally I spotted what was bothering me. That tiny white spot the big, black arrow is pointing at is a mailbox. Wait – what? Yep, there it is; embedded in that short, square brick pillar, located right outside the post office door.
Now I ask you: Why would a post office need an external mailbox? Seems like a somewhat superfluous addition, don’cha think? I suddenly had an urge to mail a letter to the branch’s Postmaster, just to see if a mail carrier had to bring it outside and put it in the box. If I can just find a stamp. And paper. And, uh, a pen. (Naah, just kidding. I still remember how to actually hand write a letter (although my penmanship was never all that great), and I even know where Mrs. MZM keeps the stamps.)
(Sound of Dull Thud)
Anyhoo, as I wrote this post, it suddenly hit me! (sound of dull thud) In fact, it’s so obvious, I’m almost embarrassed to confess this. It seems like, after all these years of tellin’ y’all there are lessons to be learned from life pretty much everywhere – well, I sorta forgot that little detail for a bit. Call it a decade moment of insanity.
So there I was, taking note of this odd little architectural detail, wondering just what the heck it was all about. So what did I do? Took this photo, hopped into my car, drove home and wrote this post, right?
Now I ask ya: What’s wrong with this picture. (No, not that picture up there; this whole cotton-pickin’ episode.) Yep; you guessed it in one! Why didn’t I just go up there and take a look at the thing and find out why it’s there? As you can see from the photo, there’s obviously a plaque of some kind on top of that structure. Probably explaining exactly why it’s there and what it means.
All it would have taken was just a tiny little bit of time – to actually, y’know, look.
So gettin’ back to imponderable questions… Now the imponderable question is this: How come I didn’t take the time to go find out for myself? I mean, I was already there!
I hate to admit it, but for that one I have no answer.
Assignment for the Day Life
Awright y’all; now’s the time to learn from my mistake.
Your assignment, should you decide to accept it, is to take 5 minutes sometime today, find a good comfy spot, and take the time to observe the world around you. And don’t just be at rest; I want you to really look. Pretend you’re a recording device capturing everything around you in full fidelity. Listen to the sounds, smell the smells. Experience those minutes as fully as you can.
Now, write down as much as you can remember about what you noticed. Be as detailed as you can. If you really want to get something out of this exercise, do this every day for a week, writing down everything you can possibly remember.
And most of all – should you, like I did, see something that raises a question in your mind, don’t just wonder about it (like I did) – take an extra minute and go over there and find out the answer!
I’m tellin’ ya; you may be surprised at what you’ll discover!
________________________
Great exercise. I should be doing this to open up my inner eye as well.
Cheers,
Todd
@Todd – Guess I should, y’know, try this myself. After all, it was my idea… :-\
Then that was a great idea you have there. I’ll be trying it soon to myself for me to have a wider idea.
@Mark – Hey, what a great idea!
I live in Austin and have the luxury of being able to bike everywhere I need to go. Doing so allows me a lot of time to see interesting things I would have never EVER seen if I was in my car, but it also takes a LOT more effort to see those things.
Sometimes I think it has nothing to do with the time it takes to notice things or experience things, and it has everything to do with the effort it personally takes to do it. I feel people tend to get lazy and if learning something involves expending their own energy, it will not happen.
I think you offer a good lesson. Thanks!
@Austin – Kind of you to drop by, Bubba! Lemme know how that works out for ya, ‘K?
You know, I just love nature, so I’m going to try this. We think we pay attention to things around us, but after you wrote this, maybe we just don’t take the time to really get the full picture. Robert, you really do deep thinking and I like this. You make everyone think twice about things. Have a good one and tell the Mrs. hi for me.
@Paula Jo – I’ll do that thing, Paula Jo! Thanks for takin’ the time to think; my job here is done!
This exercise should heighten the senses on a daily basis.
@Jon – Exactly! A tip o’ the hat to ya, Bubba!
Howdy:
So glad to see you back in the blog-o-sphere!! It hasn’t been the same without checking in with your blog from time to time. Glad that Chris Cree got it back on it’s wheels again for you.
So, the assignment: Hmm, just sitting here. I hear the clock ticking and my computer humming. Maybe later on I’ll take a walk out to the chicken coop out back and watch my chickens scratch around. It is very interesting watching them sort out their pecking order!! Sitting here at the desk infront of the computer is NOT what you had in mind for this assignment I’m sure.
Welcome back!
Chris
I´m going to try your little exercise today, I think the park next to my house seems to be exellent for this!
PS: Where I´m from it is pritty normal that there is a mailbox in front of the Post Office, so that people can post their letters even when the office is closed!
@Steve – Yeah, but there are three of those BIG mail boxes around the other side of the building already.
By the way, lemme know how it works out for ya, Steve! I’d be very interested in hearing about it.
nice exercise you have there..i’ll try to squeeze that for my next week’s routine..sure sounds fun”,
@Miles – Lemme know how it works out, Bubba!
Hello Robert! The exercise was a nice experience! I was sitting on a bench in a park near to my home and focused my attention on the singing birds! After a while I was able to declutter my mind from all distracting thoughts and was only focusing on all the birds around me! When I came home I wrote down all the details that I was remembering and I was really surprised that I also had remembered (for example) the hair color and the color of the clothes of a cyclist, even though I did not even focus my attention on this person! Thanks for this nice exercise!
@Steve – Pretty amazing how just making the effort to “see” can open up the eyes, ain’t it? Thanks for lettin’ me know how it went, and a tip o’ the hat to ya, Steve!
So what *was* it there for?
I’m constantly surprised how much you can miss about your surroundings, not just details but big glaringly obvious stuff. For example I recently moved into a new city and spent three months driving over into the next town if I needed cash because I completely failed to notice the ATM that was right next to the bakery I went to every day.
@Marisa – Good one, Marisa! Yep; right under the nose. Been there. :-\
Now that is a bizaree place for a mailbox for sure.
Tried you advice over the weekend there when I hit the beach. Just hung out, looked around while the wind was howling up a storm and saw something that I hadn’t seen before in the distance. When I went to check it out, I found an harp seal just hanging out waiting for the storm to subside. The things you see when you’re paying attention.
@Luis – Fascinating, isn’t it? I can’t wait to try it again…
Great exercises, I think i’ll have to try and make time to try them out! Maybe get the whole family involved.
@Taylor – Not a bad idea, Taylor; the more the merrier!
It is always good to give sometime to yourself and i am sure that it will definitely help you in knowing a lot of things. It helps you widen your vision and make you much more aware of things.
@Steven – I’d have to agree with ya, Steven. Widening your vision is always a plus, too!
Did I ever mention how much I love this blog. That is some solid advice you challenged us readers with. People are so preoccupied with the past and the future that they forget to live in the present and simply live the moment.
@Jasmine – Hey, I appreciate your appreciation, and a big ol’ tip o’ the hat to ya!
The external mailbox is for somebody who is TOO lazy to walk even a few more steps to get into the post office. They must have done an in-depth research and found that there are far more lazy people around! lol.
@Alex – Maybe ya got somethin’ there, Alex!
I remember doing this as a child, I can’t remember where the idea came from but to this day I can still remember where I was, what I could see, hear and smell.
The place on the riverbank, by the soft gentle water holding the boats with their loud flapping sales and ropes …
I will make the time to do this today, and I hope I will remember this moment as fondly as I do the one in my childhood.
I will also make the effort to do this more than once every 20 years!
@Lyndsey – Sounds like a wonderful memory; your description is good enough for me to “be” there too…
Hi Bob,
I have a 10 minute walk to the bus stop in the morning, so I get to do this regularly. The past few weeks it’s right about at sunrise, so I get to see a fabulous display of orange and purple in the sky, accompanied by the occasional hoot of an owl or the rapping of a woodpecker on a light pole. It definitely helps me appreciate the wonder of God’s creation.
Mike
@Mike – Yeah, I know how that goes, too. On my morning commute the sun is just peeking up in a spectacular display. What’s irritating is it happens while I’m on the freeway; makes it kinda difficult to snap a photo!
Oh, and that big, black flying arrow would have totally freaked me out if I lived in San Francisco during the late 60′s LOL
@Mike – You mean you DON’T see big, black flying arrows where you live?
I tend to agree with my wife that I’m just not observant enough to see things that bother me like you did in this post. Heck, I find myself looking at the same houses on the way home from work everyday. The odder thing was to actually purposefully look in the opposite direction. For example, there is a beautiful large home I pass by everyday, I typically look over to see its large well-taken care of yard. However, when going out of my way to look on the opposite side of the street, I noticed a home tucked away behind a few trees that I had never noticed before. It wasn’t as beautiful as the other, but it is amazing to know I pass by the house everyday for 10 years and had never noticed it.
@Travis – Ironically enough, I had almost the exact same experience just the other day! Amazing what we miss right under our noses, ain’t it?
Life is full of surprises, as the saying goes. However, we should always take a moment to appreciate it. Sit back and relax. Enjoy! Have fun!
@David – I agree; having fun is sometimes the best way to cope with what life tosses your way.
Hi Robert, I have another imponderable question for you…
What would chairs look like if our knees were on backwards?
I hope that doesn’t hurt your brain as much as it hurts mine.
@Chris – Well, it don’t really hurt the brain, but it kinda makes the ol’ knees tingle a bit…
I’ve done this before…when raising toddlers. They grew up, moved away, and then I fell into the grip of Corporate America and long work hours. Now it’s happenin’ again. Got laid off, started babysitting a 2 year old Granddaughter….the perspective is once again at a very slow pace and all below waist level. I am once again in awe at the little wonders they discover that we all walk by and never notice anymore. Ah, it’s nice to be able to slow down again. This exercise can do wonders for some people…ya know, blood pressure, stress, and the like!
@Pam – How in the world can you say you’re taking care of a 2-year old and life is slowed down?!? That sounds like an oxymoron! But I get where you’re coming from.
This is a great post. I would like to think of myself as a very observant person. I notice just about everything around me and things like this strike me as odd all the time, but I always just assume there is a reason for it. I might be observant, but I often don’t follow up either to actually find out why something is the way it is. I enjoy just sitting and observing the world around me. It’s something I think we all forget to do in our busy lives.
@Sarah – I enjoy the observation; it’s when I actually have to get up and investigate stuff for myself that tends to slow me down a mite. Sigh. :-\
It’s really amazing how many new wonderful things, emotions and experiences awareness and observation could bring in our life. Many intelligent people remind about it. But it seems like most of us do not pay any attention to it. We are so busy in our daily routines that we even don’t know how to relax and simply enjoy surroundings.
@Artur – I think you said it well. And yes, we should always be amazed!
Ohmigosh, I love reading your little musings! They keep me laughing all day. And I was reading the last post you wrote about the no-reason questions and all day I was thinking to myself when I would come across something unusual and giggle a little. Then it seems everyone around me was looking at me like I was hearing voices or somethin! lol Well, I gotta share! I was driving down the road ( I live in the country) and I saw 5 horses staning at a fence at the edge of the road. The 2 on the right were facing the road as were the 2 on the left, but the 1 in the middle was facing the field. I just thought it was the funniest thing I ever saw. lol
@Jasmine – You may have interrupted something really important… if you were a horse, of course…
Yeah, there is no doubt about that exercise. It could bring lots of new experiences and positive emotions in your life. Unfortunately, not everyone aware of it. Robert, many thanks for reminding
@Jane – You’re very welcome, and a tip o’ the hat for droppin’ by, Jane!
Now that is a bizaree place for a mailbox for sure.
Tried you advice over the weekend there when I hit the beach. Just hung out, looked around while the wind was howling up a storm and saw something that I hadn’t seen before in the distance. When I went to check it out, I found an harp seal just hanging out waiting for the storm to subside. The things you see when you’re paying attention.
@Yassin – Wow, what a great discovery! Now on to step two: carry your camera with you at all times!