Did You Notice?

http://abduzeedo.com/snowflakes-photography-inspiration

Did you notice the moon tonight? Full in her evening gown but wrapped in a gray shawl, perhaps to protect herself from the frigid air that numbs my exposed face. Did you feel the snow today? When it ever so lightly and so politely landed on my nose and I went cross-eyed to see it--for it was the first of the season. It dropped in for a quick "hello" and then melted away on the tip of my nose and slipped down my coat as water. 

There are so many moments that pass us by without our knowledge because we are so caught up from getting to Point A to Point B, and then from Point B to Point C, and somewhere in the day we'll probably add a Point D to the never-ending list of things to do. But what about the moments when we sit back and just admire? For maybe we do notice these moments, but fail to give them the attention they deserve. After the holidays, I was talking to my dear childhood friend who was diagnosed with AML Leukemia, March 2011. After talking about what Santa brought us and exchanging stories from Christmas Eve, she told me about how her family drove to see the lights in the center of town. Mind you, these lights go up every year and we must have driven by them hundreds of times over all the years we lived here and never even blinked an eye, yet after all she's been through, it was such a highlight for her to be able to get out of the house and see something beautiful. I suppose I never considered the lights "beautiful"--nor can I say I would categorize carrots and cucumbers as "beautiful" either, which she was excited to finally eat--but I suppose when you're as sick as she was, everything even remotely beautiful magnifies. And what a wonderful thing to be able to say carrots and cucumbers are beautiful! So she said, "Honestly, I wouldn't trade what happened to me for anything. The people I've met, the lessons I've learned, is all because I was sick. It is why I am who I am today." It's like her entire world has been spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, all her senses amplified.

So I am posing a challenge to myself, and I invite my fellow crazy dreamers to do the same. Every week, I will add spice to my life and open my senses and write down one thing--or more if I feel especially inspired--I notice for each sense: see, hear, taste, smell, feel. At times I may expand on one sense if I am feeling especially especially inspired. But please, I ask you, my fellow crazy dreamers, to join me in this challenge and post your findings as a comment. Because what I may notice could be entirely different from what strikes you. And the way I notice could be entirely different from how you see it. It will be one big pot of inspiration!  I will keep track of these findings in a separate page in addition to my weekly posts. I will set up the page by next Thursday by the latest. Just keep your mind wide open, and you'll be surprised what you can find. Happy noticing!