Kaleidoscopic Life

Kaleidoscopes have always fascinated me.  I love the ever-changing patterns.  As I was waiting for the pasta water to boil, after adding a bit of olive oil, I realized that we can see changing patterns in many every day occurrences - if we take time to observe.

We Don't Know What We Don't Know

As a continuous learner, I'm very aware that there's always much, much more to learn.  One of my best ways to learn has been to be in a perpetual state of inquisitiveness.  Since we don't know what we don't know, our best options are curiosity, observing, questioning and connecting.

Left, Left, Right, Left, Left

At a recent luncheon, a right-handed attendee, shocked me with her observation that of the eight guests at our table, four of us were left-handed.  This was the first time I'd ever had a right-hander comment on handedness. My assumption has always been that only left-handers notice, because right-handers don't even think of handedness.  My immediate question was, "Do you have a left-handed child?".  Not surprisingly, she does.

Left-handers have had life-long experiences of adapting to right-handed tools and processes, so we notice this difference.  This awareness, or lack thereof, probably occurs with other subtle differences, as well.  We can benefit from the attention to details and perspectives these differences provide.

Observe Carefully and Think Creatively

Can you create 6 by adding one line to IX?

What would you do if you encountered the following sign in a reading comprension test, with the word GO in the middle?




We can become so programmed to think of a line as straight, that we fail to think that adding a curving line (S)  in front of IX makes 6.

And we can become so fixated on equating the red octagonal image with a stop sign that we fail to read the unexpected word placed on the familiar image.

These examples are used to illustrate how easy it is to see or hear what we expect rather than what is actually being presented or said.

When we care about relationships, opportunities or projects, it behooves us to observe carefully what is actually being conveyed and think creatively about alternative meanings.



Hearts in Nature

Family and friends have provided me with a cherished collection of hearts through the years. During this morning's run I noticed several hearts outdoors - a shrub, numerous caladium leaves, part of a pine cone, a tree leaf and a rut in the pavement.  My Google query yielded 5.81 million results for hearts in nature photos.  The link below has many intriguing images.

Images for hearts in nature photos

Buffalo Nickel in Circulation

I recently presented a $5 bill at checkout and received 7 cents in change.  Surprisingly, the nickel was a Buffalo nickel. The Indian Head and Buffalo images on the front and reverse are clear but the date is not.  These coins were minted from 1913-1938.  It's amazing that a coin that was produced 73 - 98 years ago was still in circulation. 

We never know what tiny treasures we may overlook when we fail to be observant.

Lost and Found

We all know the frustration of losing an object and retracing our steps as we frantically try to find it. Yesterday, on my morning walk, I had the unbelievable opportunity to find an item no one knew was missing.  Four blocks from home I spotted a rectangular object in the street that reminded me of the size, color and shape of the children's old Kinkaid student IDs.  Imagine how stunned I was when I picked it up and discovered my son Gar's 11th grade Kinkaid ID.  A million thoughts raced through my mind and I was thrilled to find that Gar's wallet was intact.  My college freshman has no clue how his high school junior year ID was lost and appeared in a very random location. 

When we're always observant, we never know what we will find in our daily journeys.

Red, White and Blue

At an intersection today, every truck and car that passed before me was red, white and/or blue.  The first vehicle caught my attention because their corporate colors don't include red, white or blue.  This unexpected color scheme held my attention and caused me to notice every vehicle passing before me.  Sometimes it takes only a simple jolt to make us freshly appreciate the freedoms represented by our red, white and blue.  My unexpected flag ceremony today was vehicular.

There's an Apple in My Parking Space

We do some things almost on auto-pilot - including our morning travel to work.  Sometimes it takes an unexpected occurrence to make us look at our surroundings with fresh eyes.  Two recent parking lot incidents reminded me that when we're hyper-observant, we can find interesting oddities even on our daily treks.  There are only 10 occupied reserved parking spaces in my area of the structured parking garage at work.  A couple of weeks ago, as I pulled into my space, I noticed a beautiful red apple at the front of my space.  With so little traffic in this area, the only logical explanation is that someone from a higher floor dropped it when entering their vehicle.  This misplaced apple stayed in place for several days before a maintenance worker removed it, reminding me daily to look for the unexpected. 

A few days later, a co-worker was helping me load things into my car.  While waiting, she had the chance to survey the parking lot and asked if I knew why the numbered spaces skipped 3.  Since I park in #7, the only other spaces I'd paid attention to were #s 6 and 8.  It's still a mystery why there's no space #3.

These unrelated parking lot incidents reminded me to look for the unexpected and to see what is actually presented rather than assume things are as expected.

Clouds

For as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed attributing images to the clouds. Just as with every other projection, different people see different things.  My favorite options for observing the clouds have evolved:

• lying on my back in the yard as a young child
• out of the back of the rearview window on childhood road trips
• in the passenger window as an adult
• from patios, decks and pools
• aboard fishing boats and docks
• outside the window of small and large planes
• creeping inside my office windows
• encompassing sports stands
• surrounding me as I step outdoors
• lying on my back in the pool

Who's Watching?

We sometimes think we are invisible when we are among strangers at an event or venue. Do we act differently when we think no one is watching? I've decided we should always assume that someone is watching. Recently a friend was leaving a big box store as Edgar was arriving. He spotted her because she was walking to her vehicle, but she didn't notice him because he was camouflaged in one of the many arriving SUVs. There was nothing noteworthy about the missed opportunity to visit. It was just a reminder to me that we never know what others may casually observe without our knowledge.

Black, White and Shades of Gray (silver)

Traveling around Houston, it seemed that the blur of traffic was a sea of black, white and silver/gray vehicles, occasionally dotted with other colors. I thought that I was in a colorized version of a black and white movie, and became curious. The facts supported my casual observation. The Dupont Automative Color Popularity Report shows that 65% of North American cars are black, white and silver/gray. Before I checked the stats yesterday, I started counting red cars at a stoplight at a busy Houston intersection - 14 appeared. Today I only saw 3 at the same intersection. The second observation is surprising, as 13% of our cars are red. We've come a long way since Henry Ford proclaimed that any color was acceptable as long as it was black. But, with a robust palet, we've not statistically chosen to drive a broad rainbow spectrum of car colors. I love my silver car! What car color revs your emotions?

The Sounds from Silence

Traveling to my small hometown in Arkansas reminded me of the joys of a less noisy existence. As my big-city son and I wandered outside my parent's home, he immediately observed the sights and sounds of nature.

Only when we disconnect from technology and choose to experience what nature offers can we fully appreciate the vibrant messages that we receive when we commit to engage in silence.

I offer my sounds from silence:

Buzzing
Splashing
Rustling
Crunching
Chirping
Gurgling
Bubbling
Squeaking
Croaking
Pealing
Cawing
Flapping
Blowing
Living
Flying
Clicking
Zipping
Popping
Swallowing
Squeaking

What are your sounds from silence?