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Do You Look — Or Do You See?
All people who have functional eyes can see, but many of us are blind to the minutiae of the wonders around us.
Last week I had an appointment at a location approximately 10 kilometers (around 6 miles) from my home. As my wife and I have only one car and she had a grandson babysitting duty day, she dropped me off and I had the intent of catching a bus home after the appointment. However, the weather being accommodating and pleasant, I decided to walk.
This journey, which generally takes around 15 minutes by car, took me around an hour and a half walking. The amount of detail I saw on my walking journey compared to taking the same route in a car amazed me. When driving, we are effectively cocooned in a box on wheels, focusing on driving to the detriment of viewing or seeing the wonderful world we live in.
On my walking journey, I passed a park where a group of children were playing on the swings and slides. Kids play with such abandon and are a joy to watch and are always guaranteed to brighten up a gloomy day. I walked through another small park and crossed a bridge over a stream where I paused to listen to the trickle of water. It was here I caught the sounds of various birds tweeting their spring mating calls. I spotted several robins pulling at some dried reeds on the side of the stream and then flying off with beaks full of straw, destined…
