There’s always something new to see

I’ve lived in the same suburban town here in Japan for over 3 years. So, I don’t believe it’s an exaggeration to say that I’ve been in and out of its main train station hundreds of times. Yesterday, I went for an evening walk and short stop in the supermarket. When I was heading back to the station, I noticed a man holding up his phone and aiming it at the left side of the entrance. The train station has an east and west exit, and for the east exit alone, which I was heading towards, there are about 5 different paths you can use to enter it. The path that I happened to be using drew my attention to the same thing that had held the man’s attention: a small and lit-up rectangular sign with the name of the station written in thin and wispy black brush strokes. I’ve used this path before but just passed right by without noticing this sign.

There’s nothing wrong with seeking out new adventures in new places, but one of the things I’ve learned during this pandemic is that new experiences also wait for you in the ordinary, in the oh-it’s-just-this, in the meh, in the rinse-and-repeat, in the there’s-nothing-to-do around-here. Are we willing to be open to discovering those experiences though? Slow down your pace. Slow down your mind. Dare the everyday to surprise you and show you what it has for you. For me, I often find that those little surprises are like whispers from God reminding me to exchange the hamster wheel for a gondola.

And yes, I also took a picture of the sign!