My son graduated this weekend. I am so proud of him. Proud of who he is.
At moments like this I can’t help having flashbacks to his childhood.
We went to Tompkins Square Park in the East Village just about every day.
And each day as we strolled through the park Zane would point out new things he was seeing in the park. A squirrel climbing backwards up a tree with a pizza crust, bubble gum on the park bench, someone laying on the ground staring into space, a new flower blooming, a piece of the NY Times dancing in the wind.
He taught me how to see.
I’ll explain… 
I realized that I had started to walk into a park and just categorized it as a “PARK.”
I saw how my mind wants to categorize every experience so that I experienced very little. Since then I have explored, at the risk of being pretentious, the art of seeing. I am no master, but I am better at it. And really seeing what is in front of us is key to presence. And presence is the essential ingredient to creating anything significant.
Here’s a little exercise I’ve come up that we sometimes explore for a few minutes here and there in Committed Impulse classes.
HERE WE GO
- Take a breath. (No, really do it)
- Let your eyes land on whatever’s in front of ya.
- Notice that your mind may start identifying what’s there…
“That’s a wall, that’s my door, I need to fix that doorknob, that’s a plate, I love grilled cheese, I should eat more vegetables, that’s my printer…” And so on.
- Now, here’s the experiment…
- Explore seeing in terms of color, texture, shape, lightness, and darkness. In other words, see what is actually there without identifying what it is. See the space it holds in the world. Likewise, notice where there’s space between objects. Explore seeing the way an animal might see.
- Give this a shot
Who knows – it may change your life. Or maybe it’ll just be a lil trippy. Either way – DO IT. See what’s in front of you in terms of color, shape, texture, light, and space.
For me – this exercise pulls me into my body into my immediate environment, gently increases my breath, and I AM what-they-say BACK!
If ya do this – let me know what YOUR experience is.
You can write it below because I’m not a big fan of email.
But I think you’re pretty darn great!
Keep on seeing!
Josh Pais
Feels freer. Didn’t realize how much I categorized everything without noticing details. Thank you for this tool and looking forward to learning more.
That’s great Jennifer. It has the same freeing effect on me. Rock on!
I love this exercise. Reading it I realise I used to do this as a child and would spend hours exploring the space around something…its a beautiful and peaceful reminder back into being. Thank you 😀
Yea – as kids we do this pretty naturally.
Interesting.
I totally agree. WE instantly categorize and life loses flavor. What a fun exercise to complement my meditation. Which I think both are synonymous lol
What’s that cool picture of?
R
WOW! I did start to label and then let go. Shapes and colors and density came out. The things were/are in relationship and I breathed more naturally and just interacted as is. Thank you! Great way to come back.
Awesome! Keep experimenting with it – and let us know what else you discover.
Really loved this, Josh. The Art of Seeing. I’ve always enjoyed seeing (and being reminded – thank you! – to see) the “space between objects.” Sometimes it’s like seeing worlds within worlds. Beautiful!
Kind of surprised at how effective this simple excercise was! Loved it 🙂
It’s always available to us.
Yeah, I love this perception question. We simply assume others see the same things we do, when in fact the possibilities of focus are almost endless.
As I am a nature lover, I often find myself walking a similar path through the bush, and yet have a different experience every time, as I notice the changes in nature around me. Some people just follow the path and see the trees. I see the leaves, moss, animals and insects on and around those trees.
In that picture I am first distracted by the dots, but see a mountain range and closer inspection make out the front of crab. Perhaps I should be lying down while writing this.
Hammo
PS: Congrats to your Son.
Simple yet very powerful exercise. Thank you for sharing this.