Observing the ordinary. I read the chapter name and frowned. I already know how to do this, I thought. It’s true. I do know how to observe, but what I didn’t realize was how much I was missing. Sure, I look at things, pick them up, and know what they are called, (cup, pencil, desk, tree), but this chapter made me realize that I look but do not see. I am a passive viewer. I deem things as too mundane or ordinary to actively engage in viewing, and pass right by them. Even when I read the first bit of the chapter I was skipping the pictures, rushing to finish. I had to force myself to go back and search the pictures. I wonder how different my life would be if I stopped and “smelled the roses”. How often do I watch the clock, waiting for each class to end, only to move to another room to watch the clock once more?
Once upon a time I was like Annie Dillard. I remember “seeing”, looking out across a field and seeing the dust in the air and the bugs in the grass. Now I see nothing but a field. Something inside must be broken, or lost, or perhaps I have done what all children do, I’ve grown up. As horrid as that is, it’s true; at one point I must have decided that the patience of “seeing” is not as valuable as the constant entertainment of a busy mind. The more I read of Dillard’s essay, the stronger I felt. I am in need of “seeing” the things I only look at, of knowing what I always pass by, of discovering who I am by discovering the world around me. No longer am I content. Today I begin my journey back to observing the ordinary.
I love what you said about being a passive viewer. I know that i fulfill that role all to often in my own life. To be an active viewer is a task that seems to call for far too much energy. As I was "pondering" that thought, however, I had a strange, marvelous idea. It seems to me that when I do take time to be an active viewer, I am, in fact, invigorated and re-energized far beyond the energy I spent.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about the field also reminded me of the first time I put on glasses. I, like so many others, was completely astonished that trees had actual and individual leaves on them! I think that your goal to observe the ordinary is awesome! And who knows? Maybe you'll be surprised by what else may have "leaves".