I’ve been slowly making my way through ‘On Looking: A Walker’s Guide to the Art of Observation’ by Alexandra Horowitz and have been absolutely entranced by the idea of hidden worlds that most of us miss.

The concept of the book involves the author, Alexandra, taking 11 walks around ordinary places with different people. Each of these people is an expert in their own way: a geologist, an artist, a doctor, a naturalist who studies insect tracks (this was surprisingly fascinating?), her toddler, and even her dog. On each of these walks, she gets the opportunity to observe the world in a way she never has before.

So that leads to the question… what are you missing?

If you’ve made walks a bigger part of your life over the past year (like me) and find yourself walking the same routes over and over again, challenge yourself to find something new. Since starting this book, I’ve made myself take on the same challenge.

Here is today’s list:

1. Fresh muddy tracks on the sidewalk from some kind of creature, possibly a raccoon?
2. A neighbor with a bright yellow house also owns a bright yellow car. Was that intentional?
3. Carolina jessamine is in bloom! I could smell the bright yellow flowers before I even saw them. (Side note: my whole life I thought these were called buttercups, but turns out these flowers are commonly known as Carolina jessamine or jasmine)

I feel like this a great way to practice mindfulness without committing to a meditation session. (Though, I am still very into breathwork meditation! My favorite video is HERE.)

Please let me know what secrets you discover!