The little things

 I feel that one should pay attention to the little things. So should two and so should three. I'm sorry, that was a terrible joke. Let's start again.

I feel that we should pay attention to the little things, the things that are usually ignored and overlooked. This blog is similar to the earlier one - mistakes., but in that post, I've written about how people highlight our mistakes and don't pay attention to our good qualities. 

This post is quite the opposite and while writing, I have realised something. In a basket of fresh, ripe vegetables, the rotten one is highlighted. For obvious reasons; as the mould would gradually spread causing the good ones to turn bad. But in a basket of rotten vegetables, the ripe one is completely overlooked. Why? Because the mould may have got to the ripe one too. But when we say look on the bright side, doesn't it also mean that we should consider the ripe veggie? It kind of does. Obviously, i do not want you to go to the supermarket and say "Arre it's okay, give me that ripe tomato, i don't care if the others are rotten," because it'll probably be bad for your health. That's just an example, which gives us a deeper insight about our mindset.

We've all said "majorityyy wins!" while playing with our friends. Believe it or not, those two words can be seen put to use in daily life! We look at what is more and not what is less in proportion. Every single time? Definitely not. You might think I'm doing what is perfectly described by this Marathi saying - दोन्हीकडून ढोल वाजविणे - no, I am doing nothing of the sort. I am presenting both the sides of the coin, and I am explaining their significance. Let me explain.

A plant from the genus Caladium

I said and I quote, "We look at what is more and not what is less in proportion," and that's just one side of the coin. The other side is that we also pay attention to what is unique and different. We look at what stands out. Which brings me to my main point. We must learn to change our perspective and look around. No, don't look at the fan or the wall. While walking on the road (this is actually what triggered my thoughts and made me write this post in the first place), most of us look straight ahead of us. If we are not alone, we look at the person beside us. Sometimes, we are talking to someone, sometimes we are looking at someone, and sometimes we are listening to something. Woah that's a lot of 'some's. 

Many people have a habit of looking at their phone while they walk. This may be because it's something important or they have separation anxiety or they're trying to avoid that one annoying girl who's on the other side of the street. The reasons vary. Casually scrolling on your phone while you walk is apparently a gesture which makes you cooler. It isn't. It might make you crash into something. To me, drinking water while walking is a gesture that invokes a deep feeling of awe inside me. And I'm getting distracted.

What I'm trying to say is that majority of us don't look at the little things. May it be the big bright flower that we walk by or the bracket fungi creating little steps for elves and fairies alike on the barks of trees during the rains. These are things that are ignored very often. I decided to test myself. I got an app where I could upload all these lovely plants, insects and fungi whenever I wanted to. I now had a goal, a target. So, whenever I walk to someplace, I look around and observe. 

A quote deeply resonated with me. The speaker? Sherlock Holmes.

As ever, Watson, you see but do not observe.

 That also describes our daily life! We do not ask the question 'why' when we see a bird singing at the top of its voice. I am sure that my friend, who I go on walks with, must find it very tiring, for I stop every two minutes, having noticed a brightly colored bug or a funny looking leaf. But we must listen to Mr. Holmes and observe instead of simply seeing. 5Ws and 1H. What, why, when, where, who and how.

Keep the answers of these questions somewhere in the back of your mind. Don't overdo it, for that is nothing short of gossiping.

Variegated Croton

Give yourself a task: I must stay off my phone for 1hr and look at the lovely wildlife my window gives me an insight to. This is not necessarily about using our phones but about our entire perspective towards things in general. I have the lovely choice of wearing headphones and listening to my 1hr 43 mins long playlist while walking. But instead, I look at the variegated crotons my neighbors have planted, or the Kapok bugs finding their way through piles of dried leaves. 

Kapok bugs clapping for no reason.

All of it is extremely beautiful, if you pay attention to it. If you are living where there is a fair bit of trees, have a look at them! Are they flowering? What color are their leaves? I may sound as if I have all the time in my life to look at leaves, bugs, flowers and birds, but it's a hobby. Observing. Not judging, not overthinking. Just observing and noticing.

Which brings me to the end of my post. Conclusion? Same as the beginning. Pay attention to the little things.

thank you for reading this!!! I have stuffed my phone with far too many pictures of different plants that I saw and I have tried my hardest to not use too many of those pictures in this post!!

photo credit: ✨me✨ heheheheh