That's Curious
Have you noticed what type you are?
“Life is like a camera. Focus on what’s important. Capture the good. Develop from the negatives. And if things don’t work out, take another shot.” - Ziad K. Abdelnour
I noticed this written on the pavement in New York. That was a while ago, of course.
Noticing things is one of the great luxuries of life.
Noticing something/anything triggers questions in your imagination. That then fires calculations and opinions that need to be turned into meaning. It’s the sign that we are cognitive and alive.
It’s a wealth of the kind that can take a lifetime to appreciate. Noticing becomes us. What I mean is we are what we notice.
Stuff like - the ideas we have, cameras, pain, our changing travel choices, garlic, parents values, alligator lizards in the sky, the lessons we keep learning, typefaces, wins, how others speak to you, sleep, leaf blowers, things you lose, mosquitoes, the people we like, the food we don’t, a picture hanging at an angle, the lyrics of a song, smells, French fries, skateboards, someone sitting in a doorway, idiots, lights in the sky, logos, good coffee, dreadful coffee. Everything.It occurred to me that maturity alters what we notice. (I’m probably coming late to that idea.)
I’ve noticed there’s a range to noticing.
Which ‘type’ are you?
Type One. I notice things that are familiar. I get into my groove quickly because that feels safe and secure. Occasionally, I might notice something out of the ordinary, and I have choices; check that it won’t kill or threaten me. I might ignore it, swerve it, deal with it, or check it out further if it seems of some interest.
Type Two. I don’t notice much at all. I keep my head down and avoid the world as much as possible, as I’ve learned that it’s far less trouble. I’m too busy with what’s needed to get through the day or the challenge at hand.
Type Three. I am curious. More interested in the detail and depth of what I’m not familiar with. I want to really understand the things that I’m only noticing for the first time. Things that are out of place or require further inspection.
Type Four. I only really notice that which fits the driver of my interest. That which I seek to fit the thing I’m searching for. That blinds me to all other possibilities. By that method, what I notice must prove or solve the problem or opportunity I have.
I’ve been all four types. I’ve been all four types at once, and I’ve definitely been every possible combination at one time or another.
Not that proud.
I think the culprit is time. Time is collapsed by priorities. Priorities may or may not be out of our control. The result is easily spotted in our performance.
What cripples us is unravelling what others have noticed and then dissecting and remedying the chaos and conflict between what they and we noticed.
That’s why having/making the time to notice is a luxury and something I urgently need to prioritise. It’s a power we take for granted, but we sometimes lack it, and it can kill.
This last week I’ve had the chance to notice how most people are good people, what makes a smile and a greeting genuine. What makes the introduction to a conversation meaningful? Just why a song has held my heart for 50 years.